


they're burning all the witches

by lostariels



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Witches, and I fucking love magic, but there will be angst bc it's me, idk there's covens and shit, so the main point here is supercorp witches, that's about as far as I got
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2018-04-08
Packaged: 2019-02-19 08:58:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 128,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13120437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostariels/pseuds/lostariels
Summary: Letting out a quiet exclamation that was a cross between alarm and surprise, Kara hastily began to scoop at the shallow grave, hoping she wasn’t too late to save the person. She used some of her magic to assist her, pushing chunks of dirt out of the way with casual gestures of her hands, until she felt the coarse fabric of a coat beneath her fingertips. Pulling with all of her strength, Kara came up with a limp body, breathing heavily as she cradled the person’s upper body in her arms. Her hands were caked in dirt and she was covered in a slight sheen of sweat from the exertion of digging, but she didn’t pause as she reached out to pull down the black hood drawn up over the person’s head. As she did so, dark hair spilled out from beneath it, and Kara found herself looking down at pale skin, almost ghostly in the moonlight, closed eyes and dark eyebrows. The lower half of the woman’s face - it was a woman, she realised - was covered with a black scarf, drawn up over her nose and mouth. Slowly reaching out, Kara pulled the scarf down, exposing perfectly shaped bowstring lips that were parted slightly, and leant down to hear for breathing. It was shallow, but barely there, and Kara panicked.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> for those who aren't Smallville fans, Tess Mercer is Lena's alias just btw

            It was nearing midnight, and the old woods were still as Kara wound in between the dead tree trunks. The moon was almost at its peak, and was full - the main reason why she was there that night, a red shawl wrapped around her head and shoulders and her breath visible in the freezing cold air. Her hands were buried in the pockets of her navy tweed coat, trying to keep her exposed fingertips warm, as the cold wind swirled around her. The smell of damp and decay filled the air as she stepped over a rotting log, her boots sinking in the soft mud and old leaves as she rounded a dead oak tree. She knew she was close to the usual spot that she picked limpwurt roots at the full moon, but as she passed through the forest of trees, something made her stop in her tracks.

 

            It wasn’t a noise that got her attention, or any movement, but rather a sense of unease. There was magic here. A high pitched whining sound of curiosity came from Kara’s right, and she looked at the little flickering blue ball of light hovering beside her. Whatever it was, her wisp sensed it too, and Kara knew that whatever it was, it was powerful. Closing her eyes, she slowly breathed out, straining her ears to hear beyond the sound of her own breathing and heartbeat as she sent tendrils of her power invisibly snaking out before her as her senses heightened. The gentle sighing of the wind and creaking of trees was the only sound that she could hear, and Kara frowned, unsure whether her instincts had been right. She was about to draw in her power when she sensed something, just barely. It was a heartbeat. One slow thud.

 

            Her eyes flew open, and the milky white slowly turned back to her usual piercing blue as she looked around. _There_. Over by the roots of a gnarled, dead tree standing a few dozen feet away, the ground was all churned up, which had been hard to see in the dim light from the full moon. Warily approaching it, Kara felt the familiar buzz of magic as she drew closer, coating her tongue in the telltale coppery taste of it. Kneeling down beside the torn up earth, Kara pressed a hand down onto the soil, sending a spike of power down into the earth and feeling the slow heartbeat again, in the midst of an almost overwhelming feeling of power. There was someone _buried_ under there.

 

            Letting out a quiet exclamation that was a cross between alarm and surprise, Kara hastily began to scoop at the shallow grave, hoping she wasn’t too late to save the person. She used some of her magic to assist her, pushing chunks of dirt out of the way with casual gestures of her hands, until she felt the coarse fabric of a coat beneath her fingertips. Pulling with all of her strength, Kara came up with a limp body, breathing heavily as she cradled the person’s upper body in her arms. Her hands were caked in dirt and she was covered in a slight sheen of sweat from the exertion of digging, but she didn’t pause as she reached out to pull down the black hood drawn up over the person’s head. As she did so, dark hair spilled out from beneath it, and Kara found herself looking down at pale skin, almost ghostly in the moonlight, closed eyes and dark eyebrows. The lower half of the woman’s face - it was a woman, she realised - was covered with a black scarf, drawn up over her nose and mouth. Slowly reaching out, Kara pulled the scarf down, exposing perfectly shaped bowstring lips that were parted slightly, and leant down to hear for breathing. It was shallow, but barely there, and Kara panicked.

 

            “Hush, Kal-Ex,” Kara murmured to the blue wisp as it let out a high pitched whining sound. Gripping the woman’s head in her hands, she lowered her head and breathed out, watching as a white fog enveloped the woman’s mouth and nose - not visible from the cold, but because it was magical. If anyone was looking, they would’ve noticed that her eyes turned a milky white as she drew on her magic.

 

            It only lasted a moment before the woman’s eyes flew open and she coughed as she scrambled out of Kara’s arms. “What the _hell_ are you doing?” she rasped, scuttling backwards over the torn up earth and hastily brushing some of the clumps of earth off her coat.

 

            “Wha- I was saving your life,” Kara numbly replied, staring at the woman in surprise. By the sound of her heartbeat and shallow breathing, Kara had assumed that she was close to death, and too weak to be giving the response that she was.

 

             _“Saving_ me?” the woman spluttered, “I was in _suspension_ you idiot. You just pulled me right out of it!” Kara’s eyebrows furrowed as she stared at the woman, who was looking particularly pissed off with Kara for some unknown reason.

 

            “Suspension?” Kara asked, looking confused.

 

            “I was leaching,” the woman huffed, struggling to her knees, and Kara quickly climbed to her feet, hoisting the woman up by her upper arms. She pulled back when she got to her feet, giving Kara a wary look as she staggered slightly. Reaching out, Kara grabbed her hand to stop her from falling and let out a small gasp as they touched. Worn leather gloves covered her hands, but the fingertips were cut off, but that didn’t stop the jolt that ran through her as her fingertips gently brushed against the woman’s fingers.

 

            Judging by the similar gasp off the woman, she’d felt the powerful energy too, and her wariness turned to a look of fear as she stared at Kara. “Who are you?” she furiously whispered.

 

            Taken aback by the quiet hostility, Kara blinked in surprise, “I’m, uh, Kara ... Zor-El.”

 

            “You’re from the Krypton coven?” the woman asked, a deep scowl appearing on her face. It was no secret that the El family was a part of the Krypton coven - they were one of the most prominent families in it.

 

            Kara blushed slightly, grateful that the dark hid her pink cheeks, “Well I mean ... originally, yes, but I, ah, am no longer a part of the coven. I’m a hedge witch now. Just ... doing my own thing.”

 

            “You’re not a part of a coven?”

 

            “Not officially,” Kara shrugged, fiddling with the red shawl, which had slipped down off her golden hair and pooled around her shoulders.

 

            The woman stiffly nodded, before drawing the scarf back over the lower half of her face and pulling her hood back up. Her whole face was hidden in shadows, and Kara couldn’t discern anything from her as she took in the deep hood, the fitted coat that flared out slightly at the waist, and was cinched in at the cuffs. Ragged jeans with holes in the knees, and scuffed boots completed the look - all of it in black and making her look like she was a part of the darkness. Without another word, she turned around and started walking off through the woods, leaving Kara to hurry after her.

 

            “Hey! Wait a second; you didn’t tell me your name,” Kara called after her as she tried to follow the dark figure.

 

            There was a pause that was almost too long before the woman replied, her voice barely above a murmur as she spoke. “Tess ... Mercer.”

 

            “And you’re a hedge witch too?” Kara tentatively asked.

 

            “No.”

 

            “Oh, so, um, what brings you out to the woods?” Kara conversationally asked, two paces behind Tess with her hands buried in her pockets.

 

            “I live here.”

 

            Her eyebrows rose I’m surprise, “here?”

 

            “It’s a shadow zone,” Tess replied, “there’s magic here and the ordinaries can’t come in.”

 

            “Yeah, I can feel it,” Kara quietly replied, “the whole place is dead though. It’s not exactly a secret paradise like the other ones. Is there a secret coven hidden away here that I don’t know about?”

 

            “Just me,” Tess muttered.

 

            “Oh ... but you’re _not_ a hedge witch? Which coven do you belong to then?”

 

            Whirling around, the woman stopped, and Kara almost ran into her, pulling up just in time to stop, noticing that she had a few inches on Tess. “I think it’s time for you to go home.”

 

            Kara made a sound of indignation as she looked down at the shorter woman, “I’m after herbs."

 

            “Well I suggest you gather them elsewhere,” Tess sighed, turning back around and storming off.

 

            “Hang on - if you live out here, then where do you live?” Kara asked, following after her, enraptured by the mysterious witch buried in the middle of the woods, apparently not needing her aid. “And why were you leaching your powers?”

 

            Quiet muttered curses drifted towards Kara, and she bit her lip to stop herself from asking more questions, figuring that she was annoying Tess enough as it was. “I have too much power.”

 

            “And that’s a bad thing?” Kara laughed, “most witches would kill for your power. I felt it when we touched - it’s enough to rival mine.”

 

            “I’m not ... trained,” Tess replies a few minutes later, her voice strained as she replied. “Leaching helps me control my strength.”

 

            “You weren’t trained by your coven?” Kara asked.

 

            Her question elicited another sigh off the woman, “I’m not _part_ of a coven, I’m not a hedge witch, I’m not ... _anything_. I don’t practice.”

 

            Kara opened and closed her mouth few times, surprised by the woman’s answer. It was impossible to have magic and not practice - everyone practiced, whether they were in a coven or doing their own thing out in the world with ordinary people. “But-“

 

            “It’s time for you to go home,” the woman quietly replied, her voice almost angry in the stillness of the night.

 

            “I can’t,” Kara quietly said, “I came for limpwurt roots and they can only be harvested-“

 

            “At the full moon’s highest peak,” Tess hastily replied, “yeah, I know.”

 

            Kara let out a nervous laugh, her strides lengthening to catch up to the woman, who wasn’t stopping for any reason. “Well, it’s not at its highest anymore. I, um, I thought you were in trouble, so I picked, well, saving you.”

 

            Letting out a snort of laughter, Tess shook her head, “yeah, thanks for that. Listen, if I give you some of my own, will you leave me alone?”

 

            Blinking in surprise, Kara stared at Tess in surprise, “you’ll give me some?”

 

            “If it means you’ll go away, then yes, I will,” she curtly replied, and Kara let out another quick laugh.

 

            “Great. It’s a deal!”

 

\---

 

            They walked for almost another hour, through trees which seemed to be less dead and rotting the further they went, and the cold seemed to seep into everything, finding its way beneath her coat and underneath the shawl. Tess showed no signs of stopping or slowing, and if it wasn’t for the fact that Kara’s legs were a few inches longer, she probably would’ve fallen behind. She was silent the whole time, like a shadow passing beneath the canopy of dead branches above them, following the path that the moon illuminated.

 

            The whole time they were walking, Kara couldn’t help but try and figure out who this mysterious witch was, and what she was doing out here alone, in a dying forest. She had a thousand questions that died on her tongue, knowing that she’d already irritated Tess enough with her questions. Instead, they walked in silence, until they came upon a dilapidated building in the middle of the woods. There was no door, and Tess stepped in through a hole in one of the walls, with Kara quickly following behind. She couldn’t begin to guess what the place was before, but now it was just a crumbling ruin, with a hastily constructed camp inside.

 

            One corner had a thin bedroll, a neat blanket folded and set on top of a thin pillow. Another corner held the remains of a fire, the ashes long since grown cold, with a tripod holding a kettle over it. A few roughly constructed shelves held a few tins of food and bundles of herbs, amongst a few other necessities. The only thing that seemed to be personal was the neat stack of books and scrolls, which Kara guessed pertained to magic related topics.

 

            She watched as Tess sank down to the pile of ashes in the corner, reaching for a piece of wood on the carefully piled stack beside it, and hastily constructed a teepee structure, before reaching for a flint. “Oh, let me,” Kara said, watching Tess struggle to get the sparks to catch. With the click of her fingers, a flame appeared between her thumb and forefinger, and she leant past her to light the wood on fire.

 

            Flinching slightly at the casual display of magic, Tess abruptly stood up, grabbing a tied bundle of roots and holding them out to Kara, who was about to take them, when a fluttering sound and a gentle caress of her cheek made Kara let out a startled shout. She watched as a little bat latched onto the underside of Tess’ outstretched arm, the wings folding in around its little fuzzy body as it dangled upside down.

 

            Tess let out a quiet laugh, drawing back her hood and scarf to expose her pale face, bathed orange in the light of the fire. “Don’t worry, it’s just Aithusa.”

 

            “Your familiar?” Kara asked. Tess nodded, before she extended her arm further, holding out the roots to Kara, who slowly took them. “Thank you.”

 

            “Right, well, that should be everything then,” Tess said, and Kara took the hint, giving her a small smile as she nodded.

 

            Kara slightly raised the herbs, before sticking them in one of the pockets of her coat, “thank you again. It was, uh ... nice to meet you.”

 

            She got a curt nod in reply, and Kara returned it, before turning around and stepping out through the hole. It was late, and she was at least a two day walk from home, so Kara walked just out of sight of the rundown building and nestled in between the roots of the trees. Conjuring a ball of fire in the palms of her gloved hands, she shivered, alone in the dark, with nothing but her little wisp, letting out quiet high pitch buzzing sounds, to keep her company.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you have no clue what's happening, join the club bc I'm still trying to figure out things and do some world building etc, anyway happy holidays!

            Kara woke with a start, not long before dawn, still nestled in a hollow in the roots of the gnarled tree. Something had woken her up, and she quickly scrambled to her feet, looking around in the greyish light of the early morning. A small hum of curiosity came from her left as her wisp moved with her. Nothing moved, and a thin veil of fog blanketed the woods, making the dead trees look like skeletal sentries looming out of the gloom. A small creak from above made her look up, and Kara let out a loud exclamation of surprise, stumbling backwards and sprawling on the ground, sending up a spray of dirt and dead leaves.

 

            “What are you _doing?!”_ Kara breathlessly exclaimed, looking up at the figure dressed in black, perched on a tree branch above where Kara had been sleeping, like and overgrown bat. As she watched, a real life bat detached itself from the woman and flew off into the sea of fog.

 

            She watched as Tess dropped down to the ground, landing in a crouch, before straightening up and pushing her hood and scarf down. Kara climbed to her own feet, brushing bracken and dirt off the back of her coat and the worn palms of her leather gloves. In the weak morning light, Kara was surprised to see how young she was - she was roughly about her age, and her face lacked the hard angles and haughtiness that it had held last night in the moonlight and firelight. She looked ethereally beautiful as she loomed out of the fog, a wary look on her face, until her green eyes turned completely black - including the whites of her eyes – and she stiffened.

 

            It was a few moments before her eyes returned back to their normal shade of green, the black retracting back into the pupil, and she let out a small gasp, lunging forward and grabbing a fistful of Kara’s coat. Her face was two shades paler, which was saying something, considering the already ghostly pallor of her skin, and her eyes were wild with panic as she looked up at Kara. _“Run.”_

 

            She didn’t fight her, Kara just let herself be pulled after the other girl, finding her footing as they ran over the uneven ground. Tess let go of Kara as she urged herself onwards, and Kara’s stride lengthened to match her pace, her heart hammering in her chest and her lungs burning as she dodged the tree trunks that appeared out of the fog. Unsure what they were running from, Kara was hesitant to turn around and look, pushing herself to keep going as she listened to the sound of twigs snapping and voices barking orders behind them. Ahead of her, she saw Tess slip on a patch of wet leaves, sprawling to the ground and scrambling on all fours as she tried to climb to her feet. Kara had been keeping pace with the shorter girl, who was surprisingly quick and agile, and skidded to a stop, reaching down to haul her to her feet, costing them precious seconds.

 

            Their pursuers were gaining on them and Kara could hear Tess swearing in between shallow breaths as she carried on running. It was no use though, and they could both hear the heavy footfalls behind them, growing closer and closer. Kara wasn’t sure if they were after her or Tess.

 

            “We need to evanesce,” Kara breathlessly said, trying to find the energy to focus on summoning her magic so she could whisk them away to safety, “we have to put some distance between us and them.”

 

            Tess let out a sound of frustration, her heavy brows drawn down into a scowl as her eyes flickered to Kara. “No, that won’t work. We won’t be able to go more than a few miles – they’ll catch us,” she rasped, stumbling as the ground dipped beneath her feet.

 

            Realising they couldn’t outrun their pursuers, Tess stopped abruptly, leaving Kara to come to a skidding halt again, wondering why her strange companion had fallen behind again. “What’re you doing?” Kara cried, backtracking to stand beside her, her head whipping back and forth at the sound of footsteps approaching.

 

            Closing her eyes, she let her magic sharpen her senses, pinpointing eight distinct sets of feet coming at them in a half-moon formation, and spreading out to encircle them. The net was drawing in, and Kara and Tess were about to be caught in the middle of the trap. “Get down,” Tess said in a low voice.

 

            “Wha-“

 

            “Don’t argue with me,” she snapped, and Kara’s question died on her lips, _“get down!”_

 

            Kara dropped to her knees at the exact moment the first of their pursuers broke through the fog, and she recognised their coat instantly. It was a white hooded one, with grey accents, and she knew it was the coat of a member of the Daxam clan. Her stomach dropped as the man slowly walked closer, his footsteps crunching the wet leaves as he stalked towards his prey. Kara knew him before he even looked up - this wasn’t the first time she’d crossed paths with the pride and joy of the Daxamite’s - but she still felt her stomach drop as she peered around Tess’ legs and caught sight of the face beneath the hood. His face was pale and drawn, with black veins snaking up his neck and near his temples from the self-inflicted lead poisoning that his clan were prone to doing. At eighteen, all of their hunters began ingesting lead, so, as metalworkers, they could draw the substance from their blood, through their fingertips, and solidify it as a weapon. They had an unusually high tolerance for it, but still, their hunters lived severely shorter lives due to the inevitable lead poisoning that the practice brought on.

 

            As he drew closer, smiling slightly, Kara realised that he was looking right at Tess - not her – and she realised that maybe it _was_ Tess that they were after, after all. Everyone knew that it was a bad idea to get on the wrong side of a Daxamite, and Kara knew that twice as well as anyone, being a Kryptonian, and she couldn’t help but wonder what this rogue witch had done to piss them off. She shifted slightly, watching as the lead hunter - Mon-El, the son of his coven’s leader - turned his attention to her, his eyes widening in surprise and his smile growing. Whatever reason he had for coming there, he’d just been given _two_ prizes, and Kara was regretting not evanescing when she had the chance. She wouldn’t leave the other witch behind now though; she wasn’t a coward.

 

            “Are you going to _do_ something?” Kara hissed up at Tess, who was standing as still as a statue, with her hands balled into fists at her sides. Kara could feel her own magic going haywire as she panicked, and she had to resist the urge to lash out an attack him. She was powerful - she knew that - and could take him on in a fight, but she hated resorting to violence. The reason for her expulsion from the Krypton clan had left a lasting impression in her mind, and Kara was overly cautious with her magic; she wouldn’t use it to hurt people unless she had to, which she might, if the other witch didn’t do anything.

 

            Tess was just waiting though, because as the eighth hunter completed the circle, her eyes turned black again, and Kara held her breath as she watched all of the Daxamites draw on the lead in their body, producing molten ribbons of metal winding around their fingertips. They were all outlined in faint hues of a variety of colours as their auras flickered into appearance at the use of their magic, but they didn’t have a chance to use it, because the air seemed to be sucked out of the clearing as Tess was enveloped in a black aura, standing stock still in the same place she had been since she’d stopped.

 

            It was like everything paused for a moment, as if the forest was taking a deep breath, and the moment the Daxamites all took a step forward, the forest exploded - or rather, Tess did. It was a magic unlike any Kara had ever felt, filled with deadly power and malice as the other witch lashed out with the full force of her strength, and filling the woods with a faintly metallic smell. The bodies of the hunters were thrown back, with some audible sounds of breaking bones as some collided with tree trunks, and all of them rendered unconscious - even Mon-El. They didn’t wait to see what would happen next, they just ran.

 

            On and on they ran, until their muscles were burning and they were struggling to breathe, and only then did Tess pull them aside, pushing Kara up against the trunk of a tree and pinning her in place. “Wha-“ Kara started to ask, but was cut off by a cold hand covering her mouth, filling her nose with the smell of earth and copper from the forest and magic that cling to the other girl. The sun was fully up by then, and the other witch’s green eyes flashed a silent warning as she held a finger to her lips to shush Kara. They were both incredibly close, and Kara could feel her heart beating loudly in her chest, and the shallow breathing of the witch pressed up against her. Neither of them moved for five minutes, until both of them couldn’t sense anything moving, and were sure they had outrun the hunters for the time being. They couldn’t linger long though.

 

            When Tess pulled back, Kara let out a shaky breath, running a hand through her tangled hair as she stared at the other witch with curiosity in her eyes. “You’re a seer!” Kara exclaimed, a look of wonder and delight crossing her face.

 

            “That’s none of _your_ concern,” was the tense response she received, and Kara let out a sharp laugh.

 

            “I’ve crossed paths with hunters before - what did you do to warrant their attention?” The other witch tensed, her shoulders hunched over slightly as she stiffly turned to face Kara. There was a look of anger in her eyes as she stared at her, and a small amount of fear. “And your magic ... it’s _strong_. Stronger than any other magic I’ve felt before. Who _are_ you?”

 

            There were a few minutes of tense silence as they both stood across from each other, wary looks on their faces as they surveyed the other. “Who are _you?”_ Tess slowly asked, “I’ve lived out here for eight _years_ and no one’s ever found me, but the minute _you_ turn up ...”

 

            Kara swallowed the lump in her throat, and shrugged self-consciously, “I’m Kara Zor-El.”

 

            “Yes, you told me that last night,” Tess curtly replied, “but _who_ are you?”

 

            “I’m ... a seeker,” she said, slowly reaching down to pull the fingerless glove off her left hand. On the back of her hand we’re delicate blank lines - not inked in, but a part of her skin, that had been there when she was born - wrought in the shape of a compass. Runes of an ancient language, which Kara knew was an ancient form of Kryptonian, the language of her earliest ancestors, were elegantly etched into the skin, but whatever they meant, it was long lost to the world now.

 

            Much to her surprise, the other witch let out a small groan as a pained look crossed her face. “No, no, no. You _can’t_ be. You can’t be here; you have to leave. Go. _Now.”_

 

            “Wha- I’m sorry for putting you in danger, but can I catch my breath for a moment? I have no clue where I am,” Kara spluttered, caught off guard by the woman’s reaction. She knew her admittance of the truth wouldn’t be well received, because her reputation preceded her - or rather, the reputation of _what_ she was.

 

            “No, you can’t,” Tess snapped, tucking a white crystal, dangling from a piece of black leather around her throat, back into her coat. “It’s not safe for you to be here.”

 

            Kara let out a snort of laughter as she scoffed, “you mean not safe for _you_. The only person who has something to worry about is the other seeker, and she disappeared a long time ago. She’s either dead or in hid- wait, you-“

 

            “You’ll forget I was here, if you want to protect us both,” the other witch haughtily replied.

 

            A look of amazement dawned on Kara’s face when she realised who she was talking to. This woman - this witch - was the other seeker that was the other half of the puzzle she’d been hiding from her entire life. This was the other half of the prophecy to unlock all of the knowledge in the world - to find the magical codex. For thousands of years, the seekers had been reincarnated over and over again, with one or both of them always dying before they found each other and could find the codex, usually due to them being hunted so that a certain coven could control them for the power the codex would give them.

 

            Her coven had protected her, up until her parents were murdered, and then she’d been banished by those she’d once trusted to keep her safe from people who would hunt her to control her or make sure others couldn’t have her. In hindsight, she realised that being sent to live with a hedge witch and warlock, and their daughter, was actually a merciful act to keep her safe, but at the time, it had been the destruction of her entire world. Now, here she was with the missing half of the seekers; Lena Luthor, the daughter of the leader of the Thorul coven, who had been missing, and presumed dead by some, since she’d turned sixteen. All of a sudden everything made sense. This witch had run away after her own disaster, not too dissimilar to Kara’s own one, but a lot more catastrophic, and hadn’t been told the name of the other seeker. She hadn’t known Kara by her name, not like Kara knew her.

 

            “You’re Lena Luthor,” Kara softly said, _“you’re_ the other seeker.”


	3. Chapter 3

            They stood in silence for a few moments, and Lena’s lack of protest confirmed Kara’s suspicions, which meant that they were _both_ in danger. The next words out of Kara’s mouth was her asking for permission to evanesce Lena alongside her, which brought on a few minutes of bickering; Lena wanted to go back to her hovel in the ruins, but her home would be invaded by the Daxamites the moment that they all regained consciousness - which could be any moment, as far as they knew - and Kara tried to reason with her, which wasn’t hard, because Lena knew that she was right. She just wasn’t very happy about the fact that her quiet life in the middle of an abandoned shadow zone had been disrupted, all because of the appearance of the other half of a mystical prophecy that she didn’t want to be a part of. In the end, she begrudgingly agreed though, and Kara brought them out miles away, on the outskirts of the shadow zone, and on the brink of civilization, just a few steps in the copse of trees that non-magical people could enter. If they stepped into where the shadow zone was, they would just pass right through to the other side, where it ended again – it was like a little magical pocket, that only those with some sort of knowledge of magic could enter. That was as far as Kara could take them, because it drained her magic to do it, and Lena refused to take them any further with her own magic, for whatever reason, so they exited the shadow zone on foot.

 

            They couldn’t use any modern forms of transportation, because their magic was too strong and interfered with the electrical signals, so they walked. They were miles outside the city, and neither of them spoke as they walked along the side of the highway, watching the sun climb higher and higher, and the towering skyscrapers grow closer as they slowly made their way towards it. This was the trip Kara had made a few days ago to go and collect her herbs, and she reassuringly patted the lump in her coat pocket as she walked along, occasionally buffeted by a speeding car flying past them. It took them a couple of hours to reach Kara’s apartment, and Lena didn’t question where they were going, or argue at all; she didn’t have anywhere else to go. Right now, she had to put her trust and her life into the hands of someone she’d _just_ met.

 

            Kara stopped outside a faded red wooden door set into the front of a plain brick building, that was unremarkable when compared to all the other buildings along the block. The blinds were drawn closed in the wide windows looking out onto the street, giving no hint at what was inside, and Kara felt the buzz and taste of magic, turning to look at a twitchy Lena in surprise as she snapped her finger to unlock the door. “Don’t worry, nothing will hurt you here. It’s got wards and protection spells in place - no one will come for us here.”

 

            With a wary look on her face, Lena nodded, curling her hands into fists to stave off the flow of magic that had black wisps of her aura curling around her fingers, and Kara gave her a warm smile as she stepped inside, her wisp giving off a faint blue glow as it bobbed along behind her. Five orange flickering flames appeared above her fingertips as she walked into the gloomy room, and with the flick of her wrist, she sent them to light the gas lamps dotted around the room, and motioned for the blinds to open with the gentle sweep of her hand. Sunlight and the orange warmth of the lanterns illuminated a clean and tidy space, filled with rows of shelves backed with all sorts of imaginable things, and a small counter, and Lena blinked in surprise as she stepped into the cramped space, taking in the mixture of bitter and earthy smells.

 

            “An apothecary?”

 

            Turning to look at her, Kara smiled and shrugged a little self-consciously, before squeezing down a narrow aisle. “My adoptive mom’s a healer; I know a lot about herbs and potions.”

 

            “Are you a healer as well?” Lena asked, taking in the jars of newt eyes, vials of water from specific glaciers and springs, and phials and tubs of other questionable things that looked a lot like yellowed bones and hair from god knew what. There were bundles of dried herbs everywhere too, and Lena looked at it all with interest, keeping her hands to herself as she tried not to knock anything over.

 

            “I mean, she taught me a lot, and I _try_ and use my magic for healing, but no ... I don’t have the affinity for it as a profession. I just sell the ingredients and make the potions,” Kara hesitantly explained. She walked around the counter and climbed up onto the second rung of a ladder attached to the row of pigeonholes behind the register, before tucking the bundle of limpwurt roots into the right hole and hopping off the ladder. Lena watched the whole thing in silence, and the only sound was the quiet whooshing sound every time her familiar made a pass overhead - Kara hadn’t tried to stop her from bringing a bat to the city, she knew it wouldn’t have worked.

 

            Stepping back around the counter, Kara silently beckoned for Lena to follow after her, disappearing through a door out the back and coming out into a narrow room behind the shop front. Two doors and a rickety old staircase took up the cramped space - one door leading out into the alley, the other to the storeroom, and the stairs heading up to Kara’s apartment. Her feet echoed on the stairs as she jogged up them, her apartment door clicking open before she even made it to the top, and she sighed as she walked into the room. It was no bigger than the shop downstairs, and only a little more spacious, due to a lack of aisles. One wall held kitchen counters and an old stove, while another was partially sectioned off, with only the peek of a neatly made bed visible. A scrubbed kitchen table and a worn sofa were also neatly arranged in the room, making the whole place feel homely, and almost normal, except for a few magical touches. Through the windows, herbs growing in window boxes could be seen, and rows of magical grimoires, scrolls and thick leather bound books were neatly arranged on a bookshelf. In the fireplace opposite the sofa, a cauldron dangled, waiting to be used, and Lena warily stepped inside.

 

            Unwrapping the red shawl from around her head and shoulders, and shrugging out of her blue coat, Kara hung them up on the hooks beside the door, and kicked off her boots. “Um, so I’m going to shower first, and then you can.”

 

            “Shower?” Lena asked, and almost wistful sound in her voice.

 

            “Yeah, you know ... hot water, soap. Maybe you could borrow some of my clean clothes,” Kara said, giving her a quick smile. The other girl nodded slowly, and Kara clapped her hands together, before sending the blue ball of light hovering behind her away. “Okay, um, just ... make yourself at home, I guess.”

 

            She walked over to her partitioned bedroom and rifled through her drawers for some clean clothes for herself, coming up with a blue plaid shirt and a worn pair of clean jeans. Lena hadn’t moved an inch, and Kara bit back a smile as she walked past her and slipped through the door leading to the bathroom. Conjuring a witchlight, she let it illuminate the small bathroom, and quickly began to shed her muddy clothes, before stepping into the bathtub and under the shower head. The smell of her lavender soap and shampoo helped her to relax, but she didn’t linger under the hot water, as much as she would’ve liked to. It would be rude to leave Lena alone for too long, especially when she looked like she hadn’t showered since she’d disappeared to the forest, despite the cleanliness of herself. Drying off quickly, Kara dressed and gathered up her laundry and dumped it into the basket in the corner, before she walked back out into the apartment.

 

            In her absence, Lena had drifted over towards the bookshelf, and was sliding one finger along the spines of the books, her hood still drawn up over her head. Kara couldn’t help but pause and observe her, like she was some sort of creature that had grown out of the night and forest - she was far too peculiar to be classed as a normal witch, and not just because she was one half of a prophecy that had been around for thousands of years.

 

            Clearing her throat, Kara walked towards her room and began rifling through her drawers, pulling out a plain black shirt and some black jeans, assuming that Lena wouldn’t come within five metres of a pastel pink cardigan. The clothes would be a little bit too big for the shorter girl, but they were clean, and Kara held them out to her as she walked back out. “There are clean towels in the bathroom.”

 

            “Thank you,” Lena murmured, taking the bundle and walking over to the door, slipping inside and locking it with an audible sound.

 

            Crossing over to it, Kara quietly knocked, “if you pass out your clothes, I can clean them for you.”

 

            A few moments later, it unlocked, and a pale arm passed out the ripped jeans and a fraying black sweater - the coat stayed firmly inside with Lena as the door shut in Kara’s face. Looking at the door with a vaguely amused look on her face, Kara quietly laughed, before the swishing sound of wings passed her by, and a gentle caress on her cheek made her let out a startled shout. The bat. She shot it a dark look, before making her way to the kitchen with the armful of clothes and dumping them in the deep sink. Running hot water over them, and dumping in some laundry detergent, Kara cast a spell to start removing all the dirt and stains, before she set a kettle onto the stove, lighting it with a spark from the snap of her fingers.

 

            By the time Lena stepped out of the bathroom, Kara had two steaming cups of tea, and a plate stacked with buttered toast - half spread with strawberry jam, and half without. The other witch was busy rolling the sleeves up on the shirt, her dirty coat folded over her arm, and the quartz crystal dangling around her neck. Lena’s clothes were on a drying rack set before the crackling fire, which also housed a small bat, dangling upside down. Looking clean and refreshed, Lena rubbed at the damp ends of her hair with a wary look on her face, inching towards the table, her eyes flickering towards the food.

 

            “Sit,” Kara eagerly told her, “it’s oolong tea.” She pushed the cup towards Lena as she lowered herself down onto a wooden chair. “I wasn’t sure if you liked jam, so I only put it on half. It’s strawberry - I made it myself.”

 

            “Okay.” Slowly nodding, Lena wrapped her hands around the cup, but she didn’t drink it, her eyes darting around the room.

 

            Kara let out a quick laugh, “you can check for poison; I won’t be offended.”

 

            Cheeks turning slightly pink, giving her a little bit of colour, Lena turned her green eyes onto Kara. “I don’t know how.”

 

            “You don’t- oh, um, okay,” Kara said, a look of surprise flashing across her face. It wasn’t a particularly hard spell - most teenagers could do it, which begged the question, how much training did her other half have? Reaching across the table, Kara picked up Lena’s cup and took a small sip, before setting it down for her, and a moment later, when nothing happened, Lena raised it to her lips. To hide her smile, and to show that the toast wasn’t poisoned either, Kara took a bite, watching as the little bat fluttered over to Lena, digging its claws in to the underside of her arm and dangling there.

 

            A small smile curled Lena’s lips, and she held out a crumb of bread to the bat, even though Kara was almost certain that bats didn’t usually eat toast with jam. “So, um, what kind of familiar is she?”

 

            “A bat,” Lena curtly replied.

 

            “Yeah, but like ... she’s a magical bat, right? Familiar’s are usually, you know, magical. My friend, Winn, has a frog that grows psychedelic mushrooms on its back. I have some of them downstairs … for the younger magical folk. So, uh, does she do anything cool?”

 

            “She’s ... a _bat_ ,” Lena slowly replied, arching an eyebrow condescendingly and making Kara blush bright red.

 

            Cramming more toast into her mouth, Kara nodded, looking away from Lena and focusing on the inquisitive wisp, which was making a range of high pitched noises as it zipped back and forth between the two witches. They didn’t speak until all that was left on the plate were crumbs, and their cups were empty. “Um, so your clothes should be dry. I darned the holes a little too, so they should last a little while longer. You’re more than welcome to keep mine though, and I can wash your coat for you, if you’d like.”

 

            Lena tuned out the babbling as she crossed over to the drying rack and picking up her jeans, her mouth falling open in surprise, before she burst into laughter, taking Kara by surprise. “You sewed the knees shut?”

 

            “Well ... yeah. I was darning,” Kara said, frowning slightly.

 

            “They’re _supposed_ to be ripped,” Lena told her, “they were like that when I stole them.”

 

            “Stole- oh, well, I, um, I thought they were just ... worn,” Kara said, scratching the back of her neck, “sorry.”

 

            Lena arched an eyebrow and set the jeans back down, shaking her head slightly. Walking around the perimeter of the apartment, her eyes slightly lidded, and her steps deliberate. She wasn’t being nosy – she didn’t peek into the bedroom, or touch anything – and once she’d made a full circuit, she faced Kara again, her eyelids flying open. “Your magic is strong.”

 

            Nodding, Kara climbed to her feet, picking up the empty plate and the cups, and carrying them to the kitchen. “Yes, it is. You’re the only person I’ve ever known who’s as strong as me,” Kara admitted, “more tea?”

 

            Ignoring the question, Lena wandered closer to the island kitchen counter, hesitantly leaning on it as she looked down at her hands. Kara noticed a silver ring on the index finger of her left hand, with a small stone of jade in it. Her knowledge of crystals wasn’t very good – she had no use for rocks in her healing, although she did sell some in the shop – and she wondered why Lena wore them. Biting her tongue to stop herself from asking, Kara started making more tea anyway, waiting for Lena to speak what was on her mind.

 

            “What kind of magic do you do?” Lena hesitantly asked.

 

            Shrugging, Kara pushed a cup of oolong towards Lena, “I mostly dabble in household magic. Making fire and light, cleaning and fixing things, wards and boundary spells. I don’t want to give away my location, so I try not to do anything _too_ big, otherwise people might start to realise I'm not Kara Danvers. In my coven – the one I was born in – we, uh, we pick a god or goddess when we reach eighteen that kind of … guides us in the type of magic that we have an affinity for, but I … left before then. I know a lot about battle magic – my sister is a battle mage, and she taught me things – and some stuff about illusions, rune magic, and enchanting. Mostly I rely on herbs and potions, because then my aura isn’t activated. What can you do?”

 

            “Nothing,” Lena quietly said, her eyes not meeting Kara’s as she spoke.

 

            “Nothing?”

 

            A small shrug, and the tentative clearing of her throat as she blushed slightly was the only reply Kara received for a few moments. “I never- my mother- very early on, it was clear I had strong magic. The runes … they knew why I was so powerful, and they tried- I’ve never been taught proper … control. I just- I _feel_ what I want to do, and I do it.”

 

            “You’ve never been trained?” Kara slowly asked, “in _any_ areas?”

 

            “I ran- I’ve been on my own since I was sixteen. I never got past basic skills – I was too powerful to even do _them_ ,” Lena admitted, flinching slightly at whatever she was remembering. Kara was remembering the way the forest had seemed to explode – the snapping of branches, and the way the bodies had been so lightly tossed backwards – and didn’t have to think hard about the out of control magic Lena would’ve dealt with as a teenager. “The only thing I know I am is a seer,” Lena said, swallowing the lump in her throat as she looked up at Kara, her hand fluttering up to touch the clear quartz around her neck, “I can’t control the visions, but I wear this to help focus them. It’s helped me survive this long.”

 

            That was one of Kara’s questions answered, and she assumed the ring was some other sharpening tool to control her magic. Kara remembered the red carnelian she’d been giving by her mom as a child – it had been lost a long time ago – to help her ground herself and focus her willpower when she was learning to control her magic. She realized that Lena must’ve kept hers from when she was a child, in the hopes that it would help her now, as an adult. Apparently that wasn’t working out too well for her, and Kara couldn’t help the next question that rolled off her tongue. “Why didn’t you just stay and learn?”

 

            Lena’s scowl was impressive, and Kara shrank back slightly, feeling like she should apologise for asking the question – which she probably should’ve – realizing that it was a very personal thing to ask someone who had clearly been living in the woods for eight years for a reason. “Why didn’t you?” Lena countered, cocking an eyebrow as she smiled slightly.

 

            Swallowing the lump in her throat, Kara shrugged, feeling her face turn red. “I was banished.”

 

 _“Banished?”_ Lena exclaimed, “you’re a rogue?”

 

            “No!” Kara protested, “I mean, yes, but no! I just … I was kicked out. I was only thirteen.” Raising her eyebrows, Lena waited for her to elaborate, picking up her tea and taking a sip. Fiddling with the handle of her own cup, Kara ducked her head down, a curtain of blonde hiding her face as she spoke quickly. “I had … problems with my magic too. There was an accident – it was my fault, that’s what they said – and my parents were killed because of it. They were just- they were trying to _protect_ me. Not everyone thinks finding the codex is a good idea, and my parents … they didn’t tell anyone what I was. They made me wear gloves to hide the compass – they didn’t even tell the rest of my family – but … it got out. Krypton-“ Kara sighed, closing her eyes at the flood of memories that came rushing back, “it’s a big coven; we have a lot of sectors. There was fighting amongst when the truth came out, about what should be done with me, and a lot of people died. My parents … they got me out before they died, with my cousin, and he took me to a hedge warlock, who took me home to his family. I wasn’t there for what happened afterwards. I haven’t been back since, but I know they banished me, so I couldn’t return even if I _wanted_ to. So that’s … me.”

 

            “I remember that,” Lena quietly replied, “barely. I remember that being a big part of the reason why people were scared of me. I was … eleven, I think, at the time. My coven – Thorul – it was … different. They wanted me for my power; they wanted the control.”

 

            Tilting her head to the side, Kara stared intently at Lena, a curious look in her eyes, “so, why’d you run?”

 

            Draining her cup, Lena set it down onto the counter and gave Kara a bitter smile, “does it matter?”

 

            Deliberating, Kara shrugged, deciding that it wasn’t up to her to make the other witch talk about her past if she didn’t want to. She’d shared her own because Lena had asked, and she’d willingly given her an answer. They were halves of a powerful duo, and Kara knew that they would have to trust each other if they wanted to find the codex, so she’d decided to trust Lena with a piece of her past. Apparently the sentiment wasn’t shared.

 

            They were silent for a few moments, before Lena cleared her throat slightly, “I should be going.”

 

 _“Going?”_ Kara echoed, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise, “where are you going to go? You don’t have anywhere else; you can’t go back to the woods. The Daxamites will be crawling all over the place.”

 

            “Mm, thanks to you,” Lena murmured in agreement, picking up her coat and slipping it on, “I’ll have to find another dead shadow zone, where _no one_ will bother me.”

 

            “But the codex-“

 

            Lena’s eyes flashed as she sharply looked at Kara, a haughty look on her guarded face as she looked at the other witch. “I never said I _wanted_ to find the codex. If I wanted to, I would’ve come looking for you a long time ago.”

 

            A look of hurt crossed Kara’s face, dashing the feeling of hopefulness welling up inside of her. She’d always wondered what it would be like to meet the elusive girl who she shared a fate with, and to have her turn her back on the opportunity to figure things out hurt. Reaching out, Kara grabbed Lena’s hand, before letting out a startled shout as the runes engraved in the back of her hand started to glow. “What the- I’m _glowing_.”

 

            Lena pulled her hand out of Kara’s, and the glowing faded. With a wary look on her face, she reached out again and gently touched a single finger to the back of Kara’s hand, the runes lighting up again as their skin brushed. They watched as the ‘needle’ of runes moved slightly as they both moved – keeping its course steady with their movements. Scrambling to undo her coat, Lena dropped it to the floor, and hurriedly unbuttoned Kara’s shirt, much to the other girl’s surprise, tugging it off and turning around, brushing her hair to the side. “My back?”

 

            A look of wonder and curiosity crossed Kara’s face as she looked at the line of black runes running from the back of Lena’s neck, all the way down her spine, and disappearing beneath the waistband of the jeans. They weren’t Kryptonian runes, and were even more foreign to Kara than the unintelligible ones on the back of her hand as she inspected them. Slowly reaching out, Kara’s fingers gently brushed against the runes, and she watched as the column of strange lettering all started glowing white, just as her hand lit up. “It’s glowing too,” Kara whispered, slightly in awe at the strange magic that they both bore on their skin.

 

            “What the fuck,” Lena breathed, quickly doing up the shirt and tucking it back into her jeans, as she turned around to look at Kara, “has it ever done that before?”

 

            “No!” Kara spluttered, “I don’t _glow_ on the regular! And it’s never moved the needle before either. What do you think it means?”

 

            A flicker of unease crossed Lena’s face as she looked at Kara, and her eyes turned completely black in the way that meant her magic was activated, before they returned back to normal and she blinked a few times, looking at Kara, “it means that that’s where we need to go to find the codex.”

 

            Kara blanched slightly, “how do you know?”

 

            “Why else would us touching make it point in a certain direction? This is our _purpose_ , or whatever, and it’s never happened before,” Lena reasonably deducted, “it makes sense.”

 

            “Get your coat,” Kara told her, rushing over to pluck her own off the hook beside the door, and doing it up, before slipping on a pair of hiking boots. She’d just finished lacing them up, and was reaching for her red shawl, giving a sharp whistle to get Kal-Ex to drift over to her, when she looked at Lena. “Do you smell gas?”

 

            Lena was in the kitchen, standing beside the stove, looking incredibly pale as her eyes darted around, as if she was looking for something, and Kara hurried over to her. “Yes. Get down.”

 

            Before she could open her mouth and ask questions, Lena pushed them both down, at the exact moment that her front door burst open, and white robed witches and warlocks burst into the apartment. Kara knew that they were Daxamites, and she barely had a moment to take in the multitude of colourful flickering auras, ready to fight, when Lena’s hand was wreathed in black fire, and the room burst apart as it exploded. A look of horror crossed Kara’s face, and she screwed her eyes shut, covering her head and curling up into a little ball, and it was a few tense moments, before she slowly opened her eyes and uncurled, taking in the slight sheen of sweat on Lena’s forehead, and the hands raised over her head, almost as if they were pressing against some invisible barrier. They were – as the room had exploded, Lena had cast a shield around them, keeping the flames and debris at bay as she bared her teeth with the effort. A few moments later, and they both went crashing through the floor, as Lena’s shield disappeared, and Kara’s quick thinking caught them an inch from the ground, before they thudded onto the stone floor. The apothecary was a mess, with the apartment above blowing a hole through the floor, and bringing everything downstairs, knocking over shelves, and spilling questionable glass vials of substances everywhere. Coughing as ash rained down around them, and a thick smoke started to fill the room, both witches scrambled to their feet. Their clothes were covered in a grey layer of dust and ash, and they looked almost ghostly as they made for the door leading out to the back, and then out into the alleyway behind the shop.

 

            "You just blew up my apartment," Kara coughed, gasping for air as her feet hit the asphalt in the pitted alley.

 

            "Sorry," Lena hoarsely replied, spitting a mouthful of gritty plaster onto the ground as she came out after Kara. She slammed the door shut behind them and pressed her hand to the metal doorknob, melting it in her hands and guiding it into the cracks in between the door and the frame, until the metal cooled and the door was welded shut behind them.

 

            Rubbish was piled high from the Chinese takeaway place directly behind Kara’s building, and neither of them paused as Kara ran towards the dumpster, climbing on top and hauling herself up onto the roof of the restaurant. Reaching over the side, she helped haul Lena up, and they both pressed themselves flat against the rooftop as they sucked in grateful lungfuls of air, trying to rid their mouths of the dry taste of plaster and smoke. They were only given a moment, before the brick at the very edge of the roof blasted apart. Kara’s head jerked up, and she frowned as she took in the hooded figure stood in the middle of a hole in the side of the second floor of her building – her apartment – the white robes flapping as black smoke curled out of the hole. It was Mon-El – that much she could make out – and his precious white robes were stained red, and black from singe marks.

 

            “Fuck,” Kara quietly cursed, her fingers tapping together in one of the rhythms Alex had taught her, and she quickly blew into the palm of her hand, before lobbing the invisible ball of energy towards the hole in the side of her apartment. She was rewarded with a warning shout, and the sound of the apartment being further reduced to ruins, and allowed herself a quick smile as she leapt to her feet, dragging a grey looking Lena up with her. The other witch looked almost laughable, covered head to toe in greyish white, instead of the usual black, but they didn’t have time to waste on laughing, and Kara felt a stab of fear as she pounded across the rooftop. “We have to get away from here.”

 

            “Where?” Lena rasped, coughing as she let Kara drag her along, their hands sweaty where they held onto each other.

 

            “I know a place nearby.”


	4. Chapter 4

            Kara wrapped herself in a thick glamour to make herself appear normal and clean, and Lena did the same, even going so far as to change her face so that she was _almost_ unrecognisable to Kara. Her eyes though - those piercing green eyes would give her away in an instant, and whenever they made eye contact, Kara couldn’t help but feel like Lena saw more than she let on. Darting down alleyways and narrow streets, they ran through the city, breathing hard as their feet pounded on the sidewalk. By the time Kara pulled up short outside a raised portcullis, she had a stitch in her side, and she was gasping for air, while Lena leant back against the patch of brick wall beside the archway, deeply breathing in the strong metallic smell of magic drifting from inside the plaza.

 

            It was a few minutes before they could speak, and Lena pushed off the wall, looking at Kara, “where _are_ we?”

 

            “The Port. Another shadow zone,” Kara told her, gesturing to the bustling plaza inside, “National City is a hub for magic, so there’s a lot of secret spots like this.”

 

            “We’re being chased by witches, warlocks and wizards and your safe spot is a place with _more_ witches, warlocks and wizards?” Lena exclaimed, a look of anger crossing her face.

 

            Kara sighed, “just come on. We’re here for a reason; I know someone who can help us.”

 

            Grumbling, Lena followed her through the mouth of the archway, keeping her eyes on the red shawl wrapped around Kara’s head and shoulders as they wove their way through the bustling crowd of magical folk. There were dozens of shops in sight, and rows of colourful market stalls cluttering up the middle of the plaza, and Lena couldn’t stop her eyes from darting from sign to sign, or taking in the wares spread out on the stalls. There was everything from cages full of magical familiars - which made Lena check that Aithusa was safely dangling from the underside of her arm - different runestones and crystals neatly spread out in rows, a variety of scrying bowls and rainbows of cloth that had been woven with certain magics in them. Everywhere Lena looked, there was something magical, whether it was plain looking scrolls that held foreign spells, baskets of herbs, or a small café that was serving drinks that were shimmering blue and green. It was all too overwhelming for her, after the silent confines of her dead forest, and she wanted to leave immediately.

 

            Kara felt the exposure too, which had never happened before, because everyone at the Port just knew her as Kara Danvers, and had never questioned that before. With Mon-El and his hunters after her, Kara wasn’t so sure that there _weren’t_ eyes watching them as she pushed through the crowd, her eyes searching for a black robe. In the end, she found the one she was looking for over near a collection of fancy quills and colourful ink pots, and stopped at the edge of a small crowd that had gathered to watch. Stones from the cobblestones beneath their feet were torn up as the black robed witch hurled them at the offending wizard stood across from her, catching him on the side of his head. With a quick flurry of hand movements, the witch had the man suspended an inch above the ground, and frozen in place, his veins protruding slightly as he struggled to move in vain as he cursed her out. Kara and Lena watched as the witch made an abrupt movement, slamming him down onto the ground - hard - and ran over to him, flipping him onto his stomach and jerking his arms behind his back. A length of enchanted metallic rope was detached from her belt, and with a series of circular hand gestures, the crowd watched as it bound the mans hands together, before he was stunned.

 

            The woman yanked him to his feet, and froze when she came face to face with Kara. Brown eyes set beneath slightly furrowed eyebrows, and short chestnut hair cut above her shoulders gave the woman a serious look, and a thin red line marred her cheek, bleeding slightly and making her look even more intimidating. “You’re bleeding,” Kara said as she approached.

 

            Reaching up to touch a finger to the shallow cut, the witch winced, “fucking ice magic. He’s been stealing aconite to poison his ex-wife. Asshole.”

 

            “Here,” Kara said, her white aura coming to life in her hands, and curling off her fingertips as she reached out to touch her sister’s cheek. The skin knit back together under her gentle touch of magic, filling the air with a slight static charge.

 

            “Thanks. What’re you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at the shop?”

 

            Kara turned around, looking at Lena, who was warily eyeing the black robes, taking in the double row of silver buttons running from the witch’s right shoulder, down to her left hip, before it fell down to her knees. Over her left breast was a pinned badge, identifying her as a battle mage. She didn’t have to guess too hard about who the witch was. “Um, Alex, this is Lena,” Kara said, making introductions, “Lena, this is my sister.”

 

            Murmuring a hello alongside a curt nod, Lena got the same greeting in return, both of them a bit uncertain of what they should make of each other. It was a few moments before Alex looked at Kara, “so, I need to take him in. I’ll see you tonight?”

 

            “No, no, wait, Alex, please,” Kara said, holding her hands out to stop her from going anywhere, “we need your help.”

 

            “What do you mean? What’d you _do?”_ Alex asked, a look of concern crossing her face as she stared at her sister.

 

            “This is Lena _Luthor_ ,” Kara quietly said, “you know, my ...”

 

            “Oh fuck,” Alex said, her eyes darting back to Lena’s face as she squinted slightly, “is that why you’re both glamoured up to your eyeballs?”

 

            Shaking her head, Kara cast a quick look around, “no, we- I was picking herbs - remember I told you I was going to pick herbs? - well I met Lena and-“

 

            “We don’t have time for this,” Lena interrupted, looking at Alex, “some hunters from the Daxam clan are after us.”

 

            Eyes widening slightly, Alex quickly nodded, before reaching into her pocket and fishing out a bunch of keys, which she tossed to Kara, who deftly caught it. “Go to my place. Don’t touch _anything_ , don’t speak to _anyone_ , and don’t get into trouble. I’ll meet you there as soon as I drop him off.” She jerked her thumb towards the stunned wizard, and gave them both a quick nod.

 

            Kara turned to look at Lena, giving her a quick smile, “come on, let’s take the door.”

 

            Eyebrows furrowing in confusion, Lena followed after Kara, watching the little blue wisp bob after her like a faithful dog. Kara pushed through the courtyard, until she made it to the middle, her eyes locking onto a black wooden door set upon a raised platform. As they approached it, a red haired man in a pea green coat stepped out, giving them a quick nod as he shut the door behind himself and quickly walked down the couple of steps. Lena blinked in surprise, taking a step to the side and peeking around the door.

 

            “What the fuck,” she exclaimed, turning to look at Kara in surprise, “there’s nothing behind it.”

 

            “You’ve never taken a door before?” Kara blinked in surprise.

 

            “I don’t even know what that _means_ ,” Lena told her, and Kara let out a delighted laugh.

 

            With a quick wink, she walked up to the door, her aura flaring to life as she wrapped her hand around the silver doorknob. The door opened easily, revealing a small white walled room, with dark hardwood floor, illuminated by a white witchlight. Kara stepped inside, her boots thudding on the floor, and she turned around to face Lena, smiling as she beckoned her inside. With a wary look on her face at being confined in the small space, Lena stepped inside, finding herself very close to Kara, and she cleared her throat as Kara brushed up against her to push the door shut. Clapping her hands together, Kara smiled as white sparks appeared at the friction, “right, let’s get this started then.”

 

            “What do we do?” Lena warily asked.

 

            “Watch and see,” Kara told her, reached past her again, her eyes turning white as her hand was enveloped in a pulsing white light, and she gently touched the door. The small room was filled with the coppery taste of metal, and Lena stared at Kara’s white eyes as she watched her furrow in concentration. A moment later, she was blinking while the white rapidly receded, and she gave Lena a bright smile. “After you, miss.”

 

            With a quizzical look at the odd, optimistic witch, Lena reached out and turned the doorknob, and stepped out onto the gravelled floor of an unfamiliar alleyway. Kara stepped out behind her and shut the black door set into the brick wall, dusting her hands off on her already filthy coat, which no one else could see. Leading the way down the alleyway, Kara cautiously poked her head out and cast her eyes about, taking in the normal foot traffic of pedestrians going about their business. Slipping out onto the sidewalk, they slowly walked in the direction that Kara led them, strolling along as if they didn’t have a care in the world. Rushing would be too conspicuous, and they wanted to be _anything_ but that right now. Eventually they made it safely to Alex’s building, skipping the elevator, because their magic would’ve shorted out the fuse, and being stuck in an elevator would’ve been the cherry on top of a very long day. Reaching Alex’s apartment, Kara whispered a spell under her breath, laying her hand onto the plain wooden door and watching as the air rippled slightly as the wards let her pass, and she quickly put the key in the lock and turned it.

 

            The difference between the sister’s apartments was glaringly obvious as they stepped inside. Alex’s was all practicality and had the feeling as if she was never home, which she probably rarely was if she was a battle mage. Like Kara’s, there were touches of magic everywhere, but a little different, given the differences in their personalities and profession. One of the most dominant features was a rack of staffs, all of them different shapes and sizes, and all clearly weapons. One corner held a neatly made bed, and kitchen counters lined the wall on the right. A plain leather punching bag was suspended from a beam in the ceiling, next to a shelf stacked with vials, books, scrolls, crystals and rocks of varying sizes. Shutting the door, Kara let her glamour drop, and Lena followed suit, and they both took off their coats.

 

            Kara watched as Aithusa fluttered up to one of the dark exposed beams, making herself at home in the darkest reaches of the place. Lena wished that she could find a dark corner to hide in. Shaking out her coat, Kara quietly cursed at the shower of white that drifted down onto the floor, and she waved her hand to make the mess disappear. With another casual sweep of her hand, she cleaned both of their clothes up, making them look more presentable.

 

            “Right, um, do you want some water? My mouth still tastes like plaster dust and smoke,” Kara said, pulling a face as she pressed her tongue against the roof of her mouth, feeing the grittiness of her saliva.

 

            “Yes please,” Lena quietly replied, stretching her fingers slightly, almost as if she could still feel the dirt clinging to them.

 

            Fetching them both some water, they drank in silence as they sat at opposite ends of the sofa that was crammed into the apartment. Once their glasses were empty, Kara sighed, running a hand through her unruly blonde curls, and climbed to her feet. “I need something stronger,” she said, looking at Lena, who was a startling shade of white as she perched uncomfortably on the edge of the sofa, “do you want a glass? You look like you might be sick.”

 

            “I’m _fine_ ,” Lena muttered, but she held her glass out to Kara anyway. Plucking the glass out of her hand, Kara walked into the kitchen and opened up the cupboard where she knew Alex kept her liquor. Rifling through an assortment of bottles containing various coloured alcohol, some shimmering silver, others alarming shades neon, and she pulled out a dusty bottle of something that looked like molten gold. The label on the bottle read Nectar, and Kara knew it was a strong liquor that was an acquired taste. Adding a small splash to each glass - she wanted to calm their nerves, not get them drunk - she stoppered the bottle and but it back, before carrying the glasses back over to the sofa. They both swallowed the gold fluid in one mouthful, coughing as it seared their throats on the way down, before returning to their silence.

 

            It was almost an hour before Alex came inside, looking a bit paler than she had before, and a wild look of fear in her eyes as she shut the door behind her, her hands running through a flurry of motions while audible sounds of locks being turned reached their ears. Unslinging two knapsacks from her shoulders, she dumped them on the island counter in the kitchen and stared at Kara. “You need to leave.”

 

            “Wha- what’s going on?” Kara asked, immediately climbing to her feet.

 

            “They’re _tracking_ you,” Alex told her.

 

            Lena let out a snort of laughter, “yeah, I figured.” She climbed to her feet as well, and the three of them faced each other for a moment. “What’ve you heard? Do you know _how?_ _"_

 

            “Your magic,” Alex said, “you’re both _too_ powerful for your own good, and when when you touch ... its like setting off a flare. The Daxamites have trackers in their group of hunters - they can _see_ the threads of magic through auras.”

 

            “But we haven’t even _used_ our magic - not until they find us and we have to defend ourselves,” Kara said, frowning slightly in confusion.

 

            Sighing, Alex paced back and forth slightly, “that doesn’t matter, Kara! The two of you ... touching when you’re at full power is like sending smoke signals to let them know where you are. It doesn’t matter if you’re using your magic or not - you’re both _too_ _powerful_.”

 

            Swallowing the lump in her throat, Kara realised they had touched when she’d stopped Lena from walking away - both times she’d touched her hand, and the other time, she’d touched her back - and that was how the Daxamites had found them. “So, what do we- what now?”

 

            “You have to leave town,” Alex quickly replied, “you need to leave before they catch you. I saw what they did to your apartment.”

 

            “Actually, that was _me_ ,” Lena piped up, holding her hand up slightly, “gas and fire ... it doesn’t really mix.”

 

             _“You_ blew the fucking apartment up?” Alex spluttered, as Lena gave her a sheepish smile, “oh _god_ , you both need to keep your magic in check. _Don’t_ use it for anything big unless you have to defend yourself. Just keep your hands to yourselves, okay? Where are your gloves?”

 

            Flexing her fingers, Kara looked down at her bare hands and shrugged, “in my apartment.”

 

            Muttering a curse, Alex walked over to the drawers near her bed, pulling one open and rifling through the contents of it until she came up with two pairs of leather gloves - one brown and one black - before walking back over to them. “Here, goth girl,” Alex said, tossing the black pair to Lena, who scowled and flushed slightly at the teasing.

 

            Rolling her eyes and giving her sister a silent warning look, Kara took the brown pair and slipped them on, stretching her fingers as she tested out the feeling of them. Her fingertips felt suffocated, used to the fingerless gloves, but the gloves would have to do. Alex walked into the kitchen while the girls put their gloves on, and started pulling food out of the cupboards. Wrapping things up and putting them into containers, she made a small pile on the kitchen counters, before fetching the two knapsacks and packing it all inside. She pulled out two metal canteens out of the bags and filled them up with cold water from the sink, before adding those in. “There’s a blanket each, and some other essentials,” Alex said, handing a bag to both girls, “your first priority should _always_ be finding water - you’re a witch, it shouldn’t be too difficult - and you’ll need to find food too. There should be enough for two days, if you ration it. Here, take this as well.”

 

            Crossing over to the rack of staffs, she plucked a brown wooden one carved with runes for strength and resilience, and plucked a green crystal from her shelf. The crystal fit into the top of the staff, and it started to glow faintly, bathing Alex’s face in an eerie light. She handed it over to Kara, with a pained look on her face. “Green kryptonite?” Kara asked, looking at her sister in surprise.

 

            “It won’t kill them, but it’ll slow them down if you get a good hit at them,” Alex told her, “just try not to use it otherwise; it’s not a toy.”

 

            A solemn look crossed Kara’s face as she planted the butt of the staff on the wooden floor of the apartment, “I’ll be careful, I promise.”

 

            “I wish I could come with you,” Alex said, sounding bitter at the thought of her sister crossing the country with a strange witch she’d just met, “I’ll do what I can from here. You should head for Midvale; mom will keep you safe.”

 

            Nodding, Kara earnestly agreed, “right, of course. Can you scry her for me and let her know I’m coming?”

 

            “Yeah, I’ll do it when you leave,” Alex promised, watching as bother girls slung the bags across their chests. “That’s about as much help as I can be. If I cross paths with that bastard, I’ll try and take him out for you, but really all I can do is track them while they track you. I’ve filled Vasquez and Lane in on what’s going on, so they’re going to help. I trust them not to tell anyone who you really are, but that’s as much help as I can give you.”

 

            Stepping forward, Kara wrapped her sister in a tight hug, her eyes prickling slightly at the thought of leaving her. They hadn’t gotten along when she was first adopted by the Danvers’, but now they did everything together. Alex was Kara’s closest friend, and they had always protected each other, and she wasn’t ready to let go of that protection yet. She had to though, because she couldn’t stay in National City, and Alex couldn’t just up and leave her job for Kara. Alex gave her a tight squeeze before pulling back, cupping her sister’s face in her hands as she gave her a stern look.

 

            “You look after yourself, or I’ll hunt you down _myself_ and make you _wish_ it was the Daxamite’s who had caught you,” Alex warned her, “and remember all the protective wards I taught you; put them all up. And make sure you look out for each other.” Her eyes slid over to Lena, who looked a little bit surprised at the other witch’s concern for her safety, and she gave her a quick nod. Turning her attention back to Kara, Alex tilted her sister’s head down and kissed her on her brow, “I love you. Come back safely, okay?”

 

            “Yeah, of course,” Kara tearfully replied, “I love you too. I’ll tell Eliza you said hi.” She gave Alex a weak smile as she pulled back, adjusting the knapsack slung across her body as she drew in a shuddering breath. Turning to look at Lena, she gave her a grim smile, “are you ready?”

 

            Holding her arm out, Lena let out a shrill whistle, and Aithusa fluttered down to latch onto the underside of her coat sleeve, and Lena gave Kara a nod. “I’m ready,” she agreed, before turning to Alex, “thank you.”

 

            She got a curt nod off the other witch, who was nervously watching the two younger witches, and Kara cleared her throat slightly as she walked towards the apartment door. With the wave of her hand, she unlocked it and let Lena slip out first, before casting one more look at her sister, who gave her a reassuring smile. Then they were gone.

 

\---

 

            They were on the outer limits of the city, in the opposite direction that they’d come into it earlier on in the day, and their legs were already tired from walking too much. Kara felt even more so drained, after casting wards around them _both_ , because Lena didn’t know how, and she was upset at leaving behind Alex and the safety of her home.

 

            “Why can’t we take the doors?” Lena grumbled as she walked along beside Kara, only her eyes visible between the hood of her coat and the scarf pulled up over her mouth and nose.

 

            “The doors are a network _within_ a city,” Kara explained, “it can’t go _between_ cities. Also, they only go a few miles each way, so even in the city, you might have to take twelve doors before you hit the right one you need. It’s not just an _instant_ teleport.”

 

            “So how long will it take us to get to Midvale?” Lena asked.

 

            Kara hesitated for a moment, “maybe two weeks, if the evanescing is good.”

 

            “Two _weeks?”_ Lena exclaimed, “we’ll be _long_ dead by then.”

 

            A bubble of surprised laughter fell past Kara’s lips, and she couldn’t stop herself from smiling at Lena. “You have _no_ faith in us.”

 

            “Why _should_ I? I don’t even _know_ you, and I’m next to _useless_ when it comes to performing real spells,” Lena grumbled.

 

            Tilting her head to the side, Kara stared at the hooded figure walking beside her, a spike of curiosity welling up inside. “Why didn’t you learn when you left? You could’ve taught yourself, or even used that secret identity of yours to get someone else to train you.”

 

            “Wow, why didn’t _I_ think of that?” Lena snarkily replies, “I tried teaching myself everyday for eight _years_. I stole books and scrolls and runestones, but I just- _I can’t do it_. I can’t _do_ small spells. The only thing I learnt how to do was put myself into suspension and then leach my magic out into the forest, and you saw what that did to the place.”

 

            Thinking back to the barren trees and desolate woods filled with no life, and she blinked in surprise. “Wait, _you_ did that?”

 

            She saw the way that Lena shifted uncomfortably, even if she couldn’t see her face. “Yes. My power ... it was too much for the trees and the plants to handle. It killed them all.”

 

            “Oh,” Kara softly exclaimed, “how often did you have to do it?”

 

            “Every week,” Lena curtly replied, “you did simple spells, so _your_ power never built up, but I couldn’t- I can’t _do_ those. If I don’t leach my power ... I’m like a bomb waiting to go off.”

 

            “Why don’t-“

 

            “Can you just drop it, please,” Lena stiffly asked, and after that, they walked in silence, watching as the suburbs gave way to the flat countryside. It was going to be a long walk.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so they don't hate each other, but they're not exactly friends yet

            It was almost midnight when two figures seemed to materialize out of thin air, and Kara staggered as her knees buckled beneath her, and the only thing keeping her up was quick reflexes on Lena’s part, as gloved hands caught her under the arms. Her feet slipping on the carpet of leaves they’d just landed on, Kara kicked up the ground as Lena helped haul her upright, before quickly stepping away from her. Dark circles ringed both of their eyes, and their cheeks were hollowed out slightly from exhaustion and hunger, and they both knew they couldn’t go any further that night. Evanescing took too much out of them, and that was with Kara teaching Lena how to do it, so that they would be able to cover the same distance in twice the speed. Despite her reservations about being able to use her magic, Lena had been able to do it the first time – a testament to just how powerful she really was – and had dropped them right into the middle of a small stream winding through the countryside. Both of them dragging themselves out of the water, soaking wet and shivering, Kara had given Lena the biggest smile she could manage through her chattering teeth, feeling excited at the fact that Lena had done it. After that, they had taken it in turns to whisk them across the country, and now, halfway to Midvale, the constant draining of their power was taking its toll on them.

 

            Whenever Kara came with Alex, they didn’t set such a grueling pace for themselves, and they weren’t being chased either, but the two witches had to push themselves to their limits, scared that they were going to be surrounded by the Daxamite’s when they woke up in the morning. Lena was more jittery than Kara, feeling the strength of her magic writhing through her body, even through the exhaustion, and that scared her more than anything. It was a strange feeling, that she hadn’t felt since she was sixteen – before she’d run away – and Lena couldn’t stop the feeling of panic that welled up inside her. Kara noticed, but she thought it impolite to comment on the other girl’s skittishness, and at times, obvious discomfort. It was usually when Kara performed some trivial magic, and she saw the way that Lena would wince slightly, and wondered what it would feel like to be scared of yourself. That seemed to be the only thing that she _was_ scared about though.

 

            It was dark in the forest, a small patch bathed in blue from the faint glow exuding from Kal-Ex, as the wisp drifted lazily around Kara’s head, checking if she was okay. She swatted it away in irritation, tutting as she looked around. They were standing amongst the trees, listening to the sound of trickling water, the leaves rustling in the slight breeze, and the soft hooting of an owl not too far away, and Kara shivered slightly – they weren’t the only things being hunted tonight, and she pitied the mice and voles scurrying around in the underbrush.

 

            “We should stay here for tonight,” Kara murmured, “there’s running water nearby.”

 

            “Okay,” Lena quietly replied, the gentle caress of a bat wing touching her face as Aithusa fluttered off into the night, “I’ll collect some wood while you set up the wards.”

 

            Nodding, Kara started walking around in a circle, her eyes turning white as her gloved hands were wrapped in tendrils of the same colour. Her steps were slow and even, and she moved her hands in circles and more complicated gestures, muttering under her breath as she ran over the instructions Jeremiah, and then Alex, had given her for putting up shields and barriers to guard her from being seen, heard or hurt by anyone else. By the time she was done, Lena was back in the middle of the circle Kara had walked, with a neat stack of wood piled on the floor. Sinking to her knees, she seemed to melt into the shadows, as her pale face was hidden by the deep hood, and she hastily began to arrange the sticks into a teepee.

 

            “Here,” Lena softly said, gesturing to the wood once she was done, so that Kara could light it.

 

            “You should try it,” Kara gently coaxed her, crouching down across the other side of it and giving Lena an encouraging smile, “we’ve been running ourselves ragged; it’s probably the best time for you to try and see what you can do.”

 

            Tilting her head to the side, Lena stared at Kara from beneath her hood, pausing slightly as she looked at Kara with an unreadable expression in her eyes. After a few moments, she nodded, raising her right hand and holding it out towards the pile of wood. Taking a deep breath, she felt a ripple of magic, before the entire structure burst into flames that burned five feet tall and reduced the whole fire to ashes within moments. “Fuck,” Lena cursed, clenching her jaw as frustration welled up inside.

 

            “It’s okay,” Kara quickly assured her, “it was something! You made a fire.”

 

            “No, I burnt some wood,” Lena huffed, falling back onto her bum as she scowled. They were plunged back into darkness again, except for the wisp and the glowing embers amongst the ashes, and Kara quickly reached for more wood from the pile that Lena had collected.

 

            Quickly arranging a new structure, Kara looked up at Lena and gave her a warm smile, “want to try again?”

 

            At the shake of her head, Kara’s smile dropped slightly, and she lit the fire with a small flame, watching as the orange light flickered to life and began to lick up the wood. Once it was crackling away, she reached for her knapsack, pulling out the metal canteen and taking a quick swig of water, before she pulled out one of the homemade energy bars Alex had shoved in. Their food supply had dwindled quickly, and they had relied on what they could forage for the past few days, plucking apples from trees, and stealing freshly baked loaves of bread from the small town bakeries they walked past. Kara felt guilty about the stealing, but Lena had no such qualms about it – it was how she’d stayed alive for eight years in the middle of a wasteland – and used her light fingers to do the job for them.

 

            “We’re going to need to find more food,” Lena told Kara, chewing on the last crumbs of the food in her own bag. “Do you know if there’s anywhere nearby where we can steal something?”

 

            Grimacing, Kara shook her head, “it’s wilderness for the next day or so. The weather’s started getting cooler too, so we might not be able to find as many plants with food we can eat. You might want to save a bite, just in case.”

 

            “I’ve been hungry before,” Lena muttered, and Kara blinked in surprise. She hadn’t thought about what Lena would’ve sacrificed to survive in the wild by herself, and she felt a flicker of unease as the image of a starving teenager, with hollow cheeks and out of control magic huddled up in that threadbare coat as it rained and snowed, and god knew what else, crossed her mind. Not for the first time, she felt sad at the thought of Lena isolating herself, but she didn’t know her well enough to even begin to broach the topic with her, let alone what had led her to run away to begin with.

 

            Trying to lighten the mood, Kara gave her a hesitant smile, “if worst comes to worst, I guess I’ll just have to lose a leg.”

 

            Lena glanced up at her, and Kara felt unnerved again by the piercing green eyes staring back at her – it wouldn’t be so bad if she just pushed her hood down, but Lena always sat there like some overgrown bat, wreathed in shadow and mystery – and Lena didn’t blink as she replied. “Liver. If you’re going to eat someone, you eat the liver first, because it has the most fat on it.” As Kara’s eyes widened slightly, Lena continued, trying to justify herself, “there’s nothing _wrong_ with cannibalism – it won’t make you sick – it’s just a social taboo.”

 

            A look of shock crossed Kara’s face, and she spluttered slightly – a small part of her wondering how Lena knew that, and the other part, not wanting to ask. “Are you actually fucking insane?” Kara blurted out before she could stop herself, as her mind flashed to Lena, alone with no one to talk to for eight _years_.

 

            Much to her surprise, Lena let out a loud laugh of surprise, and her eyes crinkled at the corners, letting Kara know she was smiling, “no need to sound so concerned; you’ll still wake up with all your fingers and toes. I’ve just had a lot of spare time to read over the past few years. You learn things, even if it's not something that's useful to know.”

 

            “It’s not my fingers and toes I’m worried about,” Kara laughed, feeling somewhat relieved, “apparently it’s my liver.”

 

            Lena laughed again, and a moment later, her hood came down, and the scarf was pulled down from the lower half of her face. Kara watched as she reached for her canteen, taking a quick drink, before putting it back in her bag. Half expecting her to disappear back into her shadows, Kara was surprised when Lena left the hood down, running a gloved hand through her tangled hair, letting the fire paint her face orange in the light of the flames. Kara couldn’t stop herself from staring, and there was something ethereally beautiful about Lena, despite the first and unkempt appearance, as the light caught her cheekbones, her cheeks carved out even deeper from the shadows and gaunt hunger, and the way her lips turned down slightly at the corners. She was beautiful, something that Kara had been well aware of, but it was something she wondered if _Lena_ was aware of. It would’ve been the least of the other girl’s concerns, living in the middle of a forest, but there was something undeniably attractive about the wild darkness about her.

 

            “I’m going to meditate,” Kara blurted out, clearing her throat slightly as she turned her eyes away from Lena. This was a nightly routine for Kara, and something that helped her master her magic and keep it from getting out of her control, like Lena’s did. “You, uh, if you want … you could join me.”

 

            “In meditating?” Lena asked, sounding skeptical.

 

            “Mhm,” Kara nodded, “my aunt taught me when I was younger, and it helped me learn how to be in control of my body and my mind, which helped me with my magic. It helped me strengthen my mind.”

 

            Lena let out a snort of laughter, “what, that Kryptonian bullshit you chant every night?”

 

            “Yes, that would be it,” Kara smiled.

 

            Sighing, Lena gave Kara an expectant look, “go on then, what do I do?”

 

            Eyebrows rising in mild surprise, Kara straightened up, dropping her shoulders as she crossed her legs, “cross your legs, sit up straight – keep your shoulders dropped though – keep your elbows tucked in, and rest your hands in your lap – or on your knees if you want – and then just relax-“

 

            “Relax?” Lena snorted, “how am I supposed to relax with all of these instructions?”

 

            “Just … empty your mind,” Kara told her, “close your eyes – not all the way, just mostly – and breathe in deeply.” She listened as Lena breathed in deeply, and smiled slightly to herself. “Now, breathe out slowly.” Lena copied the instructions again, and Kara felt herself relax slightly as she fell into the familiar feeling of the meditation. “Just keep breathing, and listen to what I’m saying.”

 

            “But I don’t speak Kryptonian,” Lena murmured.

 

            Kara quietly laughed, “it doesn’t matter. Just listen.”

 

            “Okay,” Lena agreed, taking another deep breath.

 

            As Kara began quietly repeating the same mantra she’d been chanting every night, she opened one eye, peeking at Lena to make sure she was actually paying attention, and smiling slightly when she saw the closed eyes, slightly rigid posture, due to the uncomfortable unfamiliarity of sitting in that pose, and the slightly parted lips as Lena breathed deeply and evenly. Closing her eye again, Kara let her own words wash over her, falling into the comfortable lull of the practice.

 

            Once she was finished, Kara opened her eyes, finding Lena staring straight back at her with a mild look at amusement on her face. “Do you feel relaxed?” Kara asked, raising her eyebrows questioningly.

 

            “What, so now I’m a master of magic?” Lena asked, her lips curling up into a smile.

 

            Letting out a loud laugh, Kara gave her a bright smile, “if you keep it up, you might be one sooner than you think. Go ahead, try and control the height of the flames.”

 

            Arching an eyebrow, Lena reached out, and with the sharp twist of her wrist, the flames shot up ten feet in the air. With a sound of frustration, Lena balled her hand up into a fist and the fire completely died. With a gentle coaxing from Kara, the fire kindled back to life, crackling away as merrily as it had been before. “Don’t worry,” Kara told her, an earnest expression on her face, “you’ll get there. It took me a long time to manage my own magic, but this is a good place to start.”

 

            “Yeah,” Lena muttered, giving her a grim smile that wasn’t unkind, just disheartened, and she cleared her throat slightly, “I think I might go to bed. I’m tired.”

 

            “Of course,” Kara agreed, feeling a bone deep weariness in her own body, “we both need our rest. Goodnight.”

 

            Lena murmured her own goodnight, pulling her blanket out of the knapsack and pulling her hood back up into place, before she stretched out on the carpet of leaves and covered herself with a blanket. Adding more wood to the fire to keep it burning until dawn, Kara grabbed her own blanket and similarly wrapped herself up, before turning her back on the fire, and falling straight to sleep.

 

\---

 

            A sharp jolt woke her the next morning, and Kara bolted upright, her hand curling into a claw as she drew on her magic, while she looked around with a frantic look in her eyes. Lena froze a few feet away, her arms carrying a bundle of sticks, and Kara let out a sharp breath as her body was flooded with relief. Lena passing through her wards had triggered the warning, which had been the sharp sting that woke Kara up, and she quietly apologized as she crouched down in front of the pile of ashes. Constructing a new teepee, she let Kara light it before producing an apple from a coat pocket and tossing it to Kara, who nimbly caught it.

 

            “Thanks,” Kara told her, polishing the fruit on the front of her coat, before she took a bite, grateful for even something that small for breakfast.

 

            “I also filled our canteens up from the river,” Lena said, gesturing to where she’d set them both down near the rest of the wood, and Kara nodded her thanks, taking another bite of the apple.

 

            Lena’s hair was slightly damp around her face, and the smudge of dirt that had marked her right cheek had been washed away, but that was apparently as far as showering had gone for her. More than anything, Kara was looking forward to a nice hot bath at Eliza’s, knowing that they didn’t have time to waste swimming in the river all day. The most she’d been afforded on their trip so far had been a quick dunk in a clear lake they’d passed by a few days ago, and a little of her magic to make herself and her clothes clean, even if she didn’t _feel_ clean. She felt better rested though, after a few hours of deep sleep, and Kara stretched as she peered up at the pinkish streaked blue sky as dawn gave way to the morning. Looking back down at Lena, Kara studied the dark circles under her eyes, which made her wonder how long she’d been up and wandering the woods, before coming back to their camp – she looked like she couldn’t have slept more than a couple of hours. Watching as the wisp of smoke from the fire curled upwards, blown away by the early morning breeze, Kara thought about the day of walking ahead of them with grim determination.

 

            Neither of them spoke much as they rolled up their blankets and stamped out the fire once they were ready to leave, except to agree upon walking for the time being, and Kara silently dispelled her wards, before pulling off her glove and checking the compass on the back of her hand. Despite the fact that they weren’t touching, the needle still swayed back and forth whenever Kara changed direction, pointing in the way it wanted her to go. They weren’t going that way, but they couldn’t use a real compass because their magic would interfere with the electromagnetic pull, but this method was more reliable that the sun, which they could barely see through the canopy of the trees. Reassured that they were going in the right direction, Kara picked up the staff that Alex had given her and ground the butt of it into the floor of the forest. Setting off at a brisk pace, Kara’s boots crunched leaves beneath her boots, her breath visible before her in the chill of the early morning. Lena followed close behind, her step light as she carefully trod on the leaves, making less noise than Kara, who didn’t know how to silently move through the forest.

 

            They made good timing, and their mood picked up as they wound their way through the trunks of the trees, the day warming up around them and the sun filtering down onto their faces. Kara even found a patch of blackberry bushes, and they picked a handful each, talking as they walked along. “So, what did the mantra mean?” Lena asked, a berry passing her lips, which were stained slightly purplish.

 

            “It’s from the Book of Rao,” Kara shrugged, “just one of the many in there.”

 

            “Oh god, you _still_ worship your gods?” Lena snorted, “I thought you would’ve grown out of that when you got kicked out.”

 

            Kara bristled slightly, “I didn’t get _kicked out_ , I was … taken away - for _everyone’s_ safety.”

 

            “And now you can’t go _back_ ,” Lena said, “so why do you hold onto their beliefs.”

 

            “They’re mine too,” Kara shrugged, “I grew up believing in the gods, and say what you want about them, but Krypton isn’t the only coven to worship the gods. The Mars and the Daxam covens do too, and some of the other smaller ones. So do humans.”

 

            Lena let out a snort of laughter, “well in Thorul, we were taught to believe in the earth – in the elements and the animals, and in life. Christ, even the Starhaven coven have more realistic beliefs than yours, and they spend all their time looking at bloody space with their astrology bullshit.”

 

            “Well I wouldn’t say we should all be taking notes from Thorul,” Kara said, and Lena made a sound of indignation.

 

            “What’s that supposed to mean?”

 

            Biting her lip, Kara seemed to chew on her words being letting each one fall from her lips, whacking branches aside with her staff as she peeked at Lena, who was looking at her expectantly, one eyebrow raised and an accusing look in her eyes. She was fiddling with a knotted bracelet around her wrist – a nervous habit, Kara had come to realize – as she matched Kara’s pace. “It’s just … well, your coven isn’t exactly _nice_ , is it? I’ve heard rumours-“

 

            “And what would those be exactly?” Lena stiffly asked, her shoulders stiffening and her hands balling into fists as if she was waiting for an assault.

 

            “Oh … you know,” Kara mumbled, “just … blood magic, necromancy, other … unsavory things.”

 

            Lena seemed to relax slightly, some of the tension bleeding out of her, but her tone was still sharp as she replied, “you shouldn’t speak about things you don’t know anything about.”

 

            Blinking in surprise at the biting reply, Kara raised her eyebrows slightly, “so the rumours are wrong then? Then why do people say bad things about your coven?”

 

            “No, they’re true,” Lena admitted after a moment, “but it’s not how people imagine it. And they’re _not_ my coven; I don’t belong to any coven.”

 

            “Sorry,” Kara mumbled, thinking about what Lena knew about the Thorul coven. Sixteen years was old enough to pick up a lot of practices, and even a fair few spells – even if she couldn’t bring herself to use them – and Kara felt a bit wary as she looked at the stranger walking beside her. They’d known each other for a week, and really, they didn’t know each other at all.

 

            They walked in silence for a little while longer, listening to birds chirp and the stream nearby trickle along slowly, before Kara suggested that they evanesce, and Lena agreed. They came out on the outskirts of the forest, standing in a field of long grass that came up to Lena’s shoulder, and with a weary sigh, Kara walked ahead, pushing the grass aside with the staff as she carved a path through it for Lena, who walked along behind her like a silent spectre. They were halfway there.


	6. Chapter 6

            Another week was spent traipsing towards Midvale, passing through small towns, walking over rolling hills and through patches of trees. For a normal person, it would’ve taken maybe a full day of driving to get there, or a little over a week of walking for anyone who wasn’t completely drained from using magic to jump a few miles every so often. They had no choice though, because jumping from place to place, sometimes zigzagging or going in the wrong direction, helped them leave less of a trail, just in case the Daxamites were on their heels. It drained them both more than either of them liked to admit though, and they both grew quieter with each day that passed, finding it too tiring to talk except when necessary. They didn’t sleep much, and food was scarce and miserably cold, and more than ever, Kara craved a warm bed, a hot meal, and a bath. Never had a trip to Eliza’s been so miserable. Eventually they made it though, and travel stained and weary the two of them dragged their feet as they reached the driveway leading up to the white house nestled at the top, surrounded by trees, and the sound of crashing waves and the smell of salt signalling just how close the sea was. It was already getting dark, with the sky a deep blue, plunging everything into shadows, while a chill rolled in from the sea, and they shivered slightly as they walked towards the warm welcoming lights of the house. Before they even managed to make it to the top of the driveway, the front door was opened, and a blonde woman came rushing out, the relief evident in the lines of her face as she rushed down the steps.

 

            “Kara!” Eliza breathlessly exclaimed, pulling her into a tight hug, “thank _god_ , I’ve been waiting for _days!_  Alex said that you were coming. I thought maybe ...”

 

            “We took the long way, just in case,” Kara wearily replied, giving the older woman a tired smile.

 

            Nodding, Eliza looked at her in concern, before she saw Lena shift behind Kara and jumped slightly at the sight of the dark shadow lingering nearby. “Oh, and you must be Lena,” Eliza said, giving her a hesitant smile as she tried to peer at Lena’s face in the darkness, finding herself unable to due to the deep hood that hid the other witch’s face. Lena gave her a quick nod, murmuring a hello, and Eliza’s smile grew a little more, before she blinked in surprise. “Well come on then, you’d better get inside. It’s freezing and you both look like you’re about to pass out where you stand.”

 

            Ushering both girls up the front steps, they walked inside, and the door swung shut, locking with three audible clicks, and both of them seemed to visibly relax at the feeling of safety inside the warded house. Kicking off muddy boots near the door, Kara took off her coat and unwrapped the red shawl from around her neck, hanging them up on the hooks, and leaning her staff against the wall, while Lena awkwardly hovered nearby, hood still drawn up and looking like death itself had taken up residence at the house.

 

            “You girls must be starving,” Eliza said, bustling towards the kitchen, “why don’t you both go ahead and warm yourselves up by the fire, while I get you something to eat.”

 

            “I think I need a shower first,” Kara said, wrinkling her nose and running a hand through greasy, tangled hair.

 

            “Of course,” Eliza agreed, banging around in some cupboards as Kara hovered in the doorway to the kitchen, while Lena didn’t move an inch. “Why don’t you take our guest upstairs and show her where the bathroom is?” Eliza suggested, lighting the stove with a narrow finger of blue fire, before moving a pot onto it, “you’ll both have to borrow some pyjamas off me, but you’ll manage. Some clothes too, by the look of things; look, you’ve got holes _everywhere_. It must’ve been quite a trip.” Eliza clucked, shaking her head as she looked at Kara with worry in her eyes.

 

            Nodding, Kara shrugged slightly, “it was surprisingly uneventful, given the circumstances.”

 

            Scoffing, Eliza raised her eyebrows slightly, “I find _that_ hard to believe. Nothing is ever uneventful where _you’re_ concerned, Kara Danvers.”

 

            Giving her adoptive mother a quick smile, Kara pushed off the doorframe and walked back down the hall, the wooden floorboards creaking slightly underfoot, while the quiet hiss of the gas lamps lighting the house and banging pots from the kitchen followed her down the hallway. Lena tilted her head to the side as Kara approached her, before reaching out for the bannister of the staircase and swivelling around as her foot fell on the first step. She made it up a few steps, before she turned around and gave Lena an expectant look.

 

            “Are you coming?”

 

            With quick movements, Lena was a step below her, her body unreadable beneath the hooded coat, and Kara gave her a slightly perplexed look, before turning back around and making her way up to the second floor. Fetching clean towels from the cupboards, and some pyjamas from Eliza’s drawers, Kara walked up and down the hallway, while Lena stood like a statue, her attention fixated on one of the framed photos on the white walls of the hallway. It was the Danvers family, not too long after Kara had joined them, and much to Lena’s surprise, with heavy bangs and a pair of glasses. She recognised two other faces in the photos - a younger Alex, and Eliza - and assumed that the dark haired man must’ve been the warlock that Kara had told Lena her cousin took her to.

 

            “Bangs weren’t a good look on me,” Kara said a moment later, stopping at Lena’s shoulder and startling the other girl slightly.

 

            “And the glasses?” Lena asked, turning to look at Kara with curiosity in her green eyes.

 

            Letting out a quick laugh, Kara shrugged slightly in embarrassment, “perfect vision. It was a disguise for anyone from Krypton looking for me. I still wear them, well, _wore_ them; they were in my apartment when it exploded. I didn’t think I’d need them when I was picking herbs in a dead shadow zone.”

 

            “Mm,” Lena murmured, “it’s a shitty disguise anyway.”

 

            Snorting with laughter, Kara smiled widely at her before giving Lena’s arm a quick nudge, “come on, the bathroom’s in here. Take as long as you need.”

 

            As the white door shut behind the dark figure, Kara slowly plodded back downstairs, her feet dragging as she batted aside Kal-Ex and walked back into the kitchen. It was warm in there, and the smell of soup was coming from the stove, making Kara’s stomach growl. Eliza shot her a warm smile, slicing thick pieces of bread from a freshly baked loaf, and Kara pulled a chair out at the scrubbed table, the legs screeching as they dragged along the floor. All but collapsing into the chair, Kara propped her chin up in her hand and smiled back at Eliza.

 

            “She’s an odd one, isn’t she?” Eliza mused, her eyes darting up to the ceiling, as if she could see Lena through the floorboards.

 

            “Mhm,” Kara agreed, “I’m not sure what to make of her yet. She’s ... strange. Not much of a talker, and with _no_ control over her magic.”

 

            Eliza let out a soft laugh, exchanging the knife for a ladle and giving the soul a quick stir, before giving Kara a knowing look over her shoulder, “she sounds like you when you first got here.”

 

            “Was I _that_ bad?” Kara blinked in surprise. They obviously remembered things differently, but she’d been mourning the loss of her old life, and parents, so she figured that Eliza’s perception was more accurate.

 

            “Oh yeah,” Eliza said, shaking her head slightly, “it took a while for you to open up - to trust us - but you did eventually, and you told us all about Krypton, and your parents. It just took a little time and patience.”

 

            Sighing, Kara grimaced, “I’m not sure whether I have that kind of time left with her; she doesn’t _want_ to find the Codex, Eliza.”

 

            “She _doesn’t?”_ Eliza quietly exclaimed, her eyebrows rising in surprise, “I mean, I can’t blame her for that, especially not if a pack of Daxamite Hunters are on her tail. It’s got to make you wonder if it’s worth it or not. You’ll be hunted your whole life if you find it; everyone _else_ will want it too.”

 

            Leaning back in her chair, Kara groaned and ran a hand over her weary face, “I don’t even know _what_ it is that they want. _They_ don’t even know. No one does.”

 

            “Then maybe you need to start looking for answers,” Eliza hesitantly said, giving Kara a suggestive look.

 

            “Wha- answers? _Where?_ I wouldn’t even _know_ where to begin,” Kara grumbled, “all I have is this stupid compass tattoo, and I can’t even read the runes. These runes are an archaic form of Kryptonian, and I doubt anyone outside of the Kryptonian Council would even know where to begin finding out what it means.”

 

            “Well then there’s your answer,” Eliza said, giving her a warm smile.

 

            Kara made a sound of surprise, her eyes widening slightly, “you think I should go _back_ to Krypton? But I’ve been banished, Eliza. They’ll have me arrested the moment I set foot into the Scarlet Jungle, let alone before I reach Kandor.”

 

            Shrugging, Eliza gave her a defensive look as she held her hands up innocently, “it was just a suggestion, dear. This is your path to take, and no one can make that decision for you.”

 

            With a dour look on her face, Kara grimaced, staring down at the table and tracing the wood grain of the table with a muddy finger. “There’s one person who can,” she said, listening as the water upstairs shut off and the pipes groaned, as said person finished showering.

 

            Eliza just let out a quiet laugh, pressing a kiss onto the top of Kara’s head as she brushed past her and pulled butter out of the fridge, which had been charmed to stay cold. Waiting a few moments, Kara wearily climbed to her feet, biting back a small groan as all of her muscles protested. Climbing upstairs, Kara waited outside the bathroom, until the door opened a few minutes later, and a clean, tired looking Lena stood before her, a bundle of black clothes cradled in her arms. At the sight of her dressed in pale blue flannelette pyjamas, which were so obviously made for someone middle aged and far less darker than Lena, Kara burst into laughter. A scowl appeared on Lena’s face, and two spots of colour appeared high on her prominent cheekbones, and she huffed, purposely bumping into Kara on her way out of the bathroom. Still quietly laughing to herself, Kara walked inside, locking the door behind herself and shedding all of her clothes. Her ribs were slightly visible, and her skin was covered in a few bruises from her clumsiness in the woods, but other than that, and a general layer of dirt, she was fine. All she needed was a good wash and a hearty meal, and with a soft mattress, she’d be as good as new.

 

            Wishing that she had time for a bath, but knowing that she’d fall asleep in the tub if she had one, Kara stepped under a stream of hot water, biting back a moan of content as her muscles relaxed and she was almost scalded by the high temperature of the water. By the time she was scrubbed clean, her hair rid of bits of leaves and bracken, and her nails clean half-moons, she turned off the water and wrapped herself in a fluffy towel. Her skin was mottled red from the hot water, and she felt clean for the first time in _weeks_ , smelling faintly of lavender soap and coconut shampoo. The feeling of pulling on soft, clean pyjamas was almost as good as the shower, and with some fuzzy socks on her feet, and a towel wrapped around her head, Kara dumped her clothes in the laundry basket and stepped back out into the hallway.

 

            Sat down beside the door, her clothes bundled up in her lap and her damp hair curling around her shoulders, Lena stared up at Kara with her unwavering stare. Her green eyes widened slightly at the startled yelp Kara let out, almost tripping over the other witch. “Don’t _do_ that!” Kara breathlessly gasped, a hand clutching her chest as her heart pounded.

 

            “Sit down?” Lena asked, rising to her feet in one fluid motion.

 

            Rolling her eyes, Kara gave her a wary look, “no, just ... don’t _lurk.”_

 

            Lena scoffed, huffing as she clutched her clothes to her chest and hunched her shoulders over, a scowl gracing her features again. “I’m not _lurking_. I was waiting for you.”

 

            “Scared to go downstairs alone?” Kara asked, a playful smile on her lips as she teased the other witch.

 

            Stubbornly jutting her chin forward, Lena gave her a slightly peeved look, “I was _waiting for you.”_

 

            Blinking in surprise at the admittance of what she had obviously been doing, Kara gave her a slight smile, “well come on then. Eliza’s got soup on.”

 

            They made their way downstairs, with Lena trailing closely after Kara, muttering curses whenever the wisp drifted too close to her, giving her a small electric shocks as Kal-Ex brushed against her aura. Kara just reached out and closed a hand around the glowing blue ball, shoving it into a pocket while it made high pitched whining noises. Stepping into the kitchen, Kara sank back into the same seat as before, where a bowl of vegetable soup was waiting for her, and Lena hovered behind her, cradling her cherished coat, and Kara’s worn clothes.

 

            “Here, I’ll take those,” Eliza said, smiling warmly at Lena and holding her hands out for Lena’s clothes. Hesitating slightly, Lena warily held the pile out to her, and Eliza took them, off her, her fingers gently brushing against Lena’s, making her wince slightly, but she pretended to ignore it while Lena ducked her head down.

 

            “Thank you,” Lena murmured, rounding the table and sitting down in the chair opposite Kara, where another bowl of soup waited.

 

            They ate in silence, quickly spooning mouthfuls of soup into their mouths, dipping chunks of bread into it and forcing themselves to try and slow down before they choked. A kettle boiled on the stove, filling the room with a quiet whistling sound, before Eliza turned away from the basket of clean laundry she was folding, and made three cups of tea. It was some sort of herbal remedy, made from the herbs growing or drying in bunches that littered the room, Lena assumed. She remembered Kara telling her than Eliza was a Healer, and there were signs of it everywhere, including the kind blue eyes of the witch, and the gentleness of her voice. The whole house had a soothing feeling to it, and Lena felt calm as she listened to the hushed sound of the tide ebbing and flowing outside, while the smell of the healing herbs cleared her sinuses and lulled her into a relaxed state. Kara was likewise relaxed, feeling her eyes burn as she struggled to keep them open, until her spoon clattered against the side of her empty bowl. Reaching out for the cup of tea Eliza had placed in front of her, she sipped at it, the taste of the herbs bitter and soothing all at once as she silently identified them all and their uses. It would help them sleep better, she concluded, and was grateful for it, feeling tired all the way down to her bones.

 

            “Would you like me to wash your coat for you?” Eliza quietly interrupted both women from their thoughts, and Lena turned to look at her.

 

            “Oh ... no thank you, it’s quite alright,” she murmured, tentatively clearing her throat as she looked at the threadbare coat with some embarrassment.

 

            “Are you sure?” Eliza asked, “I’ll have it all clean and dry by the morning.”

 

            A wary look on her face, Lena climbed to her feet as she nodded, “there’s just, um, some stuff in the pockets.”

 

            Nodding, Eliza held the coat out to her, and Kara watched with interest as Lena began rifling through the contents of the pockets - inside and out - coming up with a switchblade with runes carved into it, a leather drawstring pouch that clinked like marbles when she set it down, a scrap of parchment bound with a thing piece of string, one blood red crystal, and a pouch of herbs. Satisfied that she’d pulled everything out of the pockets, Lena handed the coat back to Eliza and quietly thanked her, giving her a small smile.

 

            They drank their tea quickly, and when Lena tried to wash their dishes, Eliza shooed her away from the sink, ushering them both out of the kitchen and up to bed. She gently stroked Kara’s hair, now dry and free of the towel, and gave her a quick hug, before laying a gentle hand on Lena’s shoulder and herding her towards the stairs after Kara, wishing them both goodnight. Stumbling as their eyelids threatened to close, they both made their way upstairs, and Kara pulled the blue glowing wisp out of her pocket as she opened the door to a large bedroom, letting it bathe the interior in a cool light. A bed was on each side of the room, as well as dressers and bookshelves, and a long bench beneath a window, were faintly illuminated and Lena looked around with interest. It looked like it belonged to two younger girls, which could only mean it was Kara and Alex’s room, and Lena felt like she was intruding as she stepped inside.

 

            “Do you need anything before bed?” Kara quietly mumbled, yawning and rubbing at her tired eyes as she shut the door behind Lena.

 

            Shaking her head, Lena looked at her and gave her a thin smile, laced with weariness and a slight edge of sadness. “No thank you.”

 

            “Okay, well, goodnight then,” Kara said, walking over to Alex’s bed to fetch her blanket off the end of it - her sister had stolen it last time they had visited together, complaining that she’d been cold - and as Kara turned around, she saw Lena pull back the covers of her own bed. Opening her mouth to tell her, Kara closed it again, pressing her lips together as she watched Lena climb into bed. Swallowing the lump in her throat as she took in the sad sight of the small girl curled up into a ball, Kara opened her mouth again, the words falling off the tip of her tongue before she could stop them. “Hey, do you want an extra blanket? It can get a bit chilly here.”

 

            Lena turned to look at her, her face ghostly in the bluish light of the room, “don’t you want it?”

 

            Kara waved a hand dismissively, giving her a lopsided smile, “oh no, I’m fine. I run a little hotter than most people; I’m from Krypton, we’re all naturally hotter.” Lena stared at her blankly, and Kara realised that it could be taken as her being vain, and she scrambled to explain. “I mean, we worship Rao, the god of the sun, so ... we’re mostly fire users. I didn’t mean that I’m-“

 

            “Right,” Lena said, pausing slightly, “I’ll take it just in case. I’m not as ... hot as you.” Lena gave her a slight smirk, and Kara felt her face flush and was grateful for the dim light as the other witch teased her. Taking a few steps towards the other side of the room, Kara tossed the blanket into Lena’s lap, before scurrying back over to her half of the room.

 

            Climbing into bed, she exhaled softly, feeling like she was sinking into the mattress as she relaxed, burrowing down under the blankets. Sleeping in a bed had never felt so good. It didn’t take long for her to feel the gentle tug of sleep, persuading her to fall into darkness, and Kara went willingly, craving it. On the other side of the room, Lena stared at the wall, listening as Kara’s breathing evened out, and she couldn’t help but take in the faint odour clinging to the pillow beneath her head, realising that she was sleeping in Kara’s bed - it was the same smell that had clung to the shirt Kara had leant her at her apartment. Closing her eyes, Lena breathed deeply, feeling herself relax, surrounded by the comforting smell of lavender and copper, safe and warm for the time being.


	7. Chapter 7

            They had three days of peace at Eliza’s house, and after sleeping most of the first day, and being flattened up from Eliza’s cooking, they felt like their old selves. There was a tension in the air though, almost as if they were waiting for something, and it blanketed everything, making Lena feel as restless as the roiling sea that she liked to watch. It was almost unnerving to have a stranger in the house with her, and Kara found herself sneaking glances at Lena whenever she could, but Eliza welcomed her with open arms, treating her like any other guest. Lena spent most of the time up in the bedroom, wearing borrowed sweaters and shirts off Eliza, and pacing back and forth, while Kara listened to the floorboards creak from the downstairs kitchen. It was almost like having a ghost haunting the place. The house was slightly suffocating though, and both girls found themselves sitting out on the balcony, or walking along the shoreline, shivering in the cool air that was blown in with the waves.

 

            The whole time, it felt like time itself had stopped moving, and there was a hush over the area, like it was taking a deep breath, right before plunging them into the unknown. Lena didn’t like that, and she spent a lot of time staring out at the sea, almost as if she was searching for something. Kara left her to her thoughts for the most part, spending her time helping Eliza make potions and draughts, or cook dinner - occasionally with the help of Lena, if she drifted inside, offering up her help - and she fell into the comfortable routine of being back at home. Still, every day she asked Lena to meditate with her, just like they had for the last week, and the two of them would sit on the narrow beds, facing each other as they sat cross legged with their eyes shut. It made Kara feel somewhat closer to the other witch, but she still found herself growing frustrated at the inability to read Lena. Her emotions were tightly locked away, and she didn’t show more than she wanted to, which made it hard for Kara to know who she was hidden away with, miles from home.

 

            The peace didn’t last long though, and on the fourth day, Lena woke early, as usual, and slipped out of the bedroom. Her footsteps were light on the wooden floor, and she tiptoed downstairs, pulling on her coat and slipping on her boots, before pulling open the back door and stepping outside. The brisk sea air washed over her, and she quickly buttoned up her coat, watching as a black blur flapped towards her, smiling as Aithusa latched onto a finger. Crooning, Lena tickled the bat’s stomach, quietly laughing to herself as her breath misted before her, and then the creature was flapping her wings and disappearing into the trees. Staring out at the ocean for a few minutes, Lena buried her gloved hands in her pockets and headed towards the towering trees, stepping over a carpet of leaves as she brushed branches aside, looking at the dappled pattern the week sunlight and dark shadows cast on the floor of the woods.

 

            It wasn’t long before she got the feeling that someone was nearby, and a few moments later, she came upon Eliza, crouched beside a plant as she nimbly cut a few leaves off and set them in a wicked basket, already holding a collection of plants. She looked up at Lena as she approached, wiping muddy hands on her knees before pushing herself to her feet. “You shouldn’t wander,” Eliza gently warned her.

 

            “I’m not going far,” Lena quietly replied, “I just needed some fresh air.”

 

            Eliza cocked her head to the side, watching Lena with unnerving blue eyes that gave her the feeling that Eliza could see right through her. “Your mind is weighed down. What’re you afraid of?”

 

            Blinking in surprise at the bluntness of the question, she felt her cheeks warm slightly, although they were alright rosy from the cold sea air. “I’m not afraid of anything,” Lena told her, swallowing the lump in her throat.

 

            “You’re afraid of finding the Codex,” Eliza said, her lips curling in a small smile as Lena delicately arched an eyebrow, “Kara told me. Well, she told me that you didn’t _want_ to find it, but the only thing holding you back - both of you - is fear of the unknown that finding it brings. It can be a weakness as much as a precaution.”

 

            “I’m not weak,” Lena hoarsely replied, her mouth feeling dry and her powerful magic coursing through her veins.

 

            Letting out a quiet, melodic laugh, Eliza gave her a wide smile, “no, I don’t suppose that you are. It takes a lot of strength and bravery to survive alone in the woods for so long.”

 

            “That’s not what I-“

 

            “I know,” Eliza interrupted her, “your magic is strong, but there’s strength in other things too. It’s better to be strong in ordinary ways - they can’t be taken away from you, and they have their own sense of magic.”

 

            “Magic?” Lena hesitantly asked.

 

            Nodding earnestly, Eliza gestured vaguely around the forest, and Lena’s eyes flitted around, taking in everything the older witch pointed out. “There’s magic in everything. Even ordinary people have some magic; maybe it’s the way a hunter is able to silently track prey through the woods, or the way that someone is able to roll a six every time they roll a dice. Maybe it’s in the way that someone can easily find a parking spot every time they go to a parking lot, or can strike a match the first go. Not all magic is turning lead into gold, or making it rain. Sometimes it’s how a child can be strong enough to survive in the wild.”

 

            Tilting her head to the side, Lena frowned slightly, and a small crease formed between her eyebrows as she toed the earth with one foot. “So you think that maybe my magic isn’t to do with spells? That I’ll never learn how to control it? I’m just destined to be ... ordinary? Ordinary with all this power.”

 

            “ Oh no, dear, you're anything but ordinary; you're quite _extraordinary._ If you want to learn to control it, then yes, you’ll learn, but if you don’t want your magic, then you can leach it like you’ve been doing for years. The decision is entirely up to you. There’s no such thing as destiny,” Eliza gently told her, “runes on your skin don’t mean anything. You can ignore them - some Seekers that came before you did.”

 

            “All of the Seekers before me died,” Lena blurted out, “that’s why Kara and I are the new ones.”

 

            Giving her a slight smile, Eliza nodded, “so if hiding from the task you’ve been given might get you killed, and trying to finish the task you’ve been give might get you killed, which path do you take?”

 

            Thinking long and hard about the question, Lena couldn’t come up with a good enough answer. Both options seemed bleak and miserable, no matter which way she looked at it. This story didn’t have a happy ending. Before she could voice her thoughts, she felt the flicker of a vision come on, and heard Eliza’s small gasp of surprise as her eyes turned completely black, almost as if the pupil seemed to eclipse the whole socket, spreading outwards like a plague. It was just her aura though, sparked by the prickle of magic from the vision, and a moment later Lena was blinking away the images, finding herself looking at Eliza again.

 

            “It’s rude to eavesdrop,” Lena called out, her voice carrying over the sound of creaking tree trunks and the soft sound of the sea. Eliza frowned in confusion, until Kara stepped around the trunk of a tree and stepped over fallen beaches, snapping them beneath heavy footfalls.

 

            “I wasn’t eavesdropping,” Kara retorted, “I was checking the wards. I have a feeling-“

 

            “I feel it too,” Lena replied, her eyes warily darting around, flicking back and forth as she looked for trouble. It didn’t find her though, but she still felt uneasy.

 

            Kara looked at Eliza, who was looking around, her basket of herbs dangling from one arm, and a look of fear on her face. She met Kara’s blue eyes, and gave her a warm, reassuring smile. “You girls had better get back inside. It’s safer in there.”

 

  Softly sighing, Kara nodded, knowing that she was right, and she turned on her heel, traipsing back towards the house, which felt more like a prison than it ever had before. Being in Midvale had always brought a sense of freedom and tranquility, an escape from the big city and the technology that she couldn’t stand to be around, but this time ... it felt stifling. It was safe though, and it didn’t matter how long they had to stay there, as long as they were safe. The safety didn’t last long.

 

\---

 

            Something that Kara had come to realize was that Lena had good instincts, and whether that was the product of years of self preservation, or an inkling of precognition, she didn’t know, but she trusted those instincts. So when Lena pulled on her coat over a dark denim shirt borrowed from Eliza, and laced up her boots, Kara shot her a questioning look and reached for her own coat and boots, and Alex’s staff as an afterthought. It was dark outside, too late for Lena to just be taking a walk, and Kara hurried after her, her gloved hands deep in her pockets while her wisp drifted along behind her, all of them leaving behind the warmth and welcoming lights of the house. The sea seemed even more restless tonight, and the waves were loud as they crashed on the shore. They walked in the opposite direction though, down the steep driveway, and Kara could taste the metallic tang of metal and looked at Lena, who was twitching nervously.

 

            “What is it?” she quietly asked, hardly daring to break the heavy silence.

 

            “I’m not sure,” Lena murmured, “something. There’s something- I can feel it coming. Is Eliza sure the wards will hold?”

 

            Kara nodded, but then footsteps behind her reached her ears and she turned to look at Eliza, who had an anxious look on her face as she walked towards them, shivering in her knitted cardigan. She hadn’t come out for some fresh air. Her fear was almost palpable in the darkness, with only the moon and the wisp to bathe the three of them in an eerie light. Something was wrong, Kara could feel it in her bones, and the tightness of Lena’s face let her know that her feeling was right – but whatever it was, Lena was definitely feeling _more_.

 

            “What’s wrong?” Kara asked Eliza, who was looking around.

 

            “Someone passed through the outer wards a few minutes ago,” Eliza murmured, her voice calm and reassuring, “those ones are more like an alarm bell than to stop anyone. It could be nothing – could be an ordinary human, it could be your sister.”

 

            Lena shook her head, an uneasy look on her face as her green eyes flitted back and forth, looking for something. Then they turned black, and she was frozen for a few moments, her lips parted as a small gasp escaped her, and she stared blankly off into space, looking dark and dangerous, like she was wreathed in shadows and was ready to split the entire forest apart. Then her eyes turned back to their normal colour – looking silvery, but no less intense in the dark – and her face seemed to pale, which was practically impossible, and gave her a deathly pallor.

 

            “Daxamites,” Lena hissed, sparks crackling in the palms of her hands and her shoulders tense, waiting for an attack.

 

            Eliza brushed past both of them, her fingers gentle as she gave reassuring touches to their shoulders and arms, “you girls should go back inside.”

 

            “Eliza-“ Kara interrupted.

 

            Turning to Kara, she cupped her face in both hands, giving her a warm, reassuring smile, and kissed the side of her head as she wrapped her into a hug. Lena was surprised a moment later, when Eliza wrapped her in a hug, the sudden warmth of arms around her an unfamiliar touch, and gave her a kind smile, laced with sadness. It was there in her eyes, Kara could see it, and she felt fear and panic well up inside. This woman had taken her in as her own, and she was going to face off against the Hunters, even if it killed her, because like hell would she let them touch Kara.

 

            “Go on inside now,” Eliza calmly told them both, “pack your things and leave. I’ve got it from here.”

 

            “No,” Kara hoarsely replied, thinking about how she would never forgive herself if something happened to her adoptive mother, and how Alex would never forgive her either.

 

            As they watched, blue sparks danced along Eliza’s fingertips, the same colour of her eyes, which Lena had thought we kind and warm, but now were as cold and chilling as ice. Her eyes turned completely blue, and the blue wisps of her aura trailed around her with each movement, and Kara’s fear didn’t lessen, it only grew. She’d never seen Eliza use her magic for anything other than healing, but there was an iciness to her now as the maternal persona was shed, and she raised her hands to her waist, palms facing upwards while she breathed deeply. Above them, the moon was covered, and both women glanced up, watching as thick, dark shadows eclipsed all light, veiling the stars from sight, and the first drops of rain began to fall. In moments, it was a downpour, plastering their hair to their faces, and with the sharp slash of her hands, the rain seemed to freeze in mid-air, just as the first white robe emerged from the darkness, stopping at the end of the driveway, a few metres away.

 

            Kara didn’t need to look beneath the hood to know it was Mon-El, and she felt her stomach tie itself into knots while the air froze around her. As she watched, every drop of rain froze, turning into little studs of ice, and Eliza turned her head to the side, not turning her eyes off the man standing before her, or the other ghostly robed figures materializing around him. “Now, Kara,” Eliza sternly told her, and Kara let out a small sound of protest, before a gloved hand was wrapping around hers.

 

            “They want _us,”_ Lena told her, “not her.”

 

            That seemed to snap Kara out of it, and she turned around, brushing aside specks of ice as she hurried towards the yellow lights of the house, seeming too overly bright and cheerful with the standoff going on just a few steps away. There was an exclamation of surprise, and both girls whirled around just in time to see a white robed figure reduced to ash as they tried to pass through the wards, which flared with bright white light, holding strong. Lena kept towing them along, her feet pounding on the steps as she yanked open the front door and stepped inside, dropping Kara’s hand.

 

            “What do you need?” Lena brusquely asked, her eyes sharp and her jaw clenching and unclenching as she tried to keep her magic in check.

 

            “Food,” Kara numbly replied, “we need food, and water. Our bags-“

 

            “Here,” Lena told her, shoving one into her hands and looping the other one across her chest, “get what you can from the cupboards.”

 

            Nodding, Kara rushed to the kitchen, taking a still warm loaf of bread that Eliza had made for dinner, some apples from the fruit bowl and some nuts and cheese. It was all that she could find in the few moments Lena allowed her, while she filled up one of the canteens. It would have to do for the time being. Tying the top of the bag shut, Kara slung it across her body, picking up her staff again and rushing down the hallway and pausing at the light show going on outside. The wards weren’t made to stand against attacks that strong, and with each spell cast at it, a bright white light illuminated the night, but with each strike, the light got dimmer. Kara watched with horror as a tiny spark of light sparked from another hit, and then one of the Hunters slowly stepped towards the wards, passing right through it. She watched as Mon-El summoned a deep scarlet ball of energy and threw it directly at Eliza.

 

            “No!” the shout tore itself from Kara’s lips before she could stop herself, and she was out the front door and running down the steps within second, listening to Lena curse as she chased after her, calling loudly. Kara pulled up short at the deep green magic that blocked the blast, a staff spinning in a circular motion while the green wisps trailed after it, almost looking like a green shield. Letting out a relieved sob, Kara looked at the dark hair cut above shoulders, and the familiar aura, as Alex stopped spinning the staff and settled into a slight crouch, while two other Battle Mages flanked her, cutting Eliza off from the fight.

 

            “Stay away from my mom,” Alex snarled, and Kara ran towards her, relief chasing away some of the fear at the sudden appearance of her sister. She’d said that she would tail the Daxamites and try and stop them, and Kara felt a rush of love for her sister, who would never go back on a promise, or let anyone hurt her. She didn’t even turn at the sound of footsteps, but she still knew it was Kara approaching, and she didn’t sound as enthusiastic to see her. “Kara, go!”

 

            There were almost a dozen Hunters, and only six of them, which weren’t great odds, but weren’t exactly the best either, and Kara wasn’t going to reduce that number even more. Not now when they had a chance. “No,” Kara stubbornly replied, settling into a slight crouch beside Alex, her hands lighting up with white magic as she glared at Mon-El. This was her fight – hers and Lena’s – and she wouldn’t run away unless she had to.

 

            She glanced to her right as Lena stopped beside her, darkness spilling from her as she held out shaking hands, watching her aura pool in the palms of her gloved hands, like writhing shadows. Her face was pale and etched with fear – not at the Daxamite Hunters, but at the magic she held in her hands – and she looked at Kara. “What do I do?” she hoarsely asked.

 

            Now wasn’t the time for a lesson, and Kara knew Lena could accidentally rip them to shreds with her chaotic magic if she couldn’t rein in her powers, but it was a chance they had to take, because they needed all of the magic they could muster. “Just … feel the magic. Follow the urge, and if you have to … don’t hold back.”

 

            Lena’s mouth was set in a grim line and she nodded, swallowing back her fear of herself, and she closed her eyes, letting the magic in her veins sing. Asking herself what she felt, the only answer she could come up with was anger and fear – at the Daxamites, at herself, and a small part of her was angry and afraid of Kara, who could’ve just left her alone to live peacefully in the forest – and she felt the burning anger surge up. Looking down, black flames licked up her arms, and she balled her hands into fists, trying to keep the magic under control. Beside her, Kara felt the buzz of her own magic, and her fingers danced on her palms, tapping out a rhythm as she waited for the fight to begin.

 

            It was tense for a few moments, and then Eliza stepped forward, the shards of ice still suspended in midair, and she clapped her hands together. All at once, hell seemed to break loose, and a bolt of lightening struck the earth inches from Mon-El’s feet, tearing up the ground. The shards of ice whipped through the air, slicing shallow cuts into the hands and faces of the Daxamite’s, and then Alex was attacking with the two other women, and the Daxamite’s were lashing out with their own magic. Lumps of earth was ripped up, and rocks too, being thrown through the air was force, while rain was manipulated into whips, fire blazed, and the wind screamed as it pulled at hair and robes. Kara finished tapping out a pattern and threw it towards the nearest white robed figure, and they were thrown backwards, sliding through the dark mud. A thing whip of metal wrapped around Kara’s throat as she turned, yanking her backwards, until she was laying in the mud as well, choking as the metal cut a line of fire into her throat, cutting off the air supply. Scrabbling at the thin line of wire, she gasped for air, and a moment later, black fire was licking the metal, which dripped into molten drops, glowing slightly orange, and a black gloved hand was wrapped around it. Looking up into a pale face, Kara scrambled to her feet, giving Lena a curt nod in thanks, before shoving her out of the way and sending a small woman crashing back into the trunk of a tree, hard enough to knock her out as her head bounced against the hard wood.

 

            As Kara turned around again, wiping rain out of her face, she watched as Alex blasted a man back with her staff, while one of the other women seemed to shove another man back, turning him to stone. The third Battle Mage threw down a few runestones, and a ring of purple mist encircled her, and Kara watched with some amazement as the mist thickened into a fog, tendrils of it snaking out to wrap around a man, almost seeming to smother him, until one moment he was there, and the next the fog receded, with no evidence of the man having been stood there a moment before. It was messy, and they were winning, but Kara knew that soon enough, one of them would succumb to the force of the Daxamite’s, and they were only there for her and Lena.

 

            Seeking out the black coat, Kara watched as Lena seemed to explode with energy, her fire growing too big and too out of control, until Lena’s eyes were wide and eerie with their all encompassing darkness, and her face a grimace of fear. She was losing control, and her fire lashed out, burning robes and snaking along the ground, crumbling everything it touched to ash. Kara reached out and grabbed Lena’s shoulder, holding up a hand that crackled white as she blocked a flicker of fire with her own aura as Lena whirled around to attack her. “We have to go,” Kara shouted over the loud cracking and booming noises of fighting and thunder.

 

            Nodding, Lena’s magic died on her fingers, and she glanced around, trying to find somewhere to escape to. The only place they could go was to the forest, hoping that the cover of the trees would help them lose anyone who chased after them. A moment later, Eliza’s hand came down on both of their shoulders, and Alex was there, spinning her staff around as her deep green aura batted aside an assault. “You have to go. Remember what I told you, Kara,” Eliza shouted, “you need answers. Find them. Do what you have to do. And Alex … protect them both. I’ll take it from here.”

 

            The air was still a riot of colours as Kara watched Eliza flare up blue, her body completely illuminated by her magic as she began to weave a spell. Almost tripping over her feet as Alex prodded her in the back, Kara began to run, with Lena keeping pace beside her, and the three of them bolted for the dark trees looming at the edge of the house. Kal-Ex sped along behind Kara, giving them a small amount of light to see by, which was both a blessing and a curse, and the sounds of fighting faded behind them as they leapt over logs and bushes, stumbling over rabbit holes and hidden rocks, with their breathing and footsteps breaking the still silence of the forest. And they could hear footsteps chasing after them – only one set – and Kara knew in her gut who it was. Who wanted to catch her more than anyone else there. Glancing over her shoulder to check how close her pursuer was, Kara didn’t see the root snaking out across the ground, and she tripped, her leg snapping as she fell, and her mouth was filled with the coppery taste of blood as she bit down on her tongue with the jarring collision with the ground. A sharp pain lanced through her leg as she climbed to her feet, and she hobbled along, trying to keep up with Alex and Lena, who had only spared a moment to make sure she was back on her feet.

 

            Taking a lunging step forward, Kara let out a small whimper of pain as her leg threatened to buckle beneath her, and she staggered slightly, hopping on her left leg as she bit back a curse. “Alex,” she rasped, calling after her sister, “Alex, my leg.”

 

            Her sister was there in an instant, and so was Lena, her face pale as she looked up at the fluttering bat wheeling overhead as it stuck close to its owner. Crouching down in front of her, Alex prodded her leg, and Kara muffled a groan of pain as a barb of magic lanced through her leg, and Alex cursed. “It’s broken.”

 

            “Fuck,” Lena swore, running a hand through her wet, dark hair, and trying to wipe away some of the water on her face. They didn’t have any time to waste, and Kara would slow them down, but they couldn’t just abandon her; Alex never would, and Lena wasn’t that selfish, not after everything Kara had done to protect her, even if it was her fault they had ended up in this mess in the first place.

 

            The sound of footsteps was growing closer, but they still had a few moments, and Alex fluidly rose to her feet, grabbing Kara by the shoulders and giving her a gentle shake, “go. I’ll hold him off.”

 

            “No-“

 

            “Go to the Port and there’s a pub there called Noonan’s owned by a woman called M’gann. Remember? I took you there that one time, she’s J’onn’s- well, anyway, tell her I sent you, and ask her for room thirteen and wait for me there. Don’t speak to anyone else and don’t come out of the room,” Alex babbled, none of the information making sense as Kara clutched onto her wisp, channeling the information into the blue ball. “I’ll hold him off as long as I can, but if I’m not at the pub three days after you get there, leave without me. Go to the Hub, and find a Bounty Hunter called Maggie – the one with two eyes, not one – and tell her I sent you. Ask her to be your guide for wherever you’re going next, but just get out of the city. There’ll be eyes there.”

 

            “But you’re coming with us, right?” Kara asked, her voice wavering as she blinked back tears, her face contorted into pain and fear welling up inside.

 

            Alex quickly laughed, brushing Kara’s damp hair aside and giving her a sharp smile, “I’ll be right behind you. Now go.” Kara hesitated slightly as Lena reached out to grab her hand, but Alex was already turning away, her staff leaving trails through the air as she dawdled towards the oncoming footsteps. “Go, Kara.”

 

            She didn’t get to say another word, because Lena was already whisking them away, and the feeling of weightless pressure was followed by them being slammed down on the ground, as Kara let out a roar of pain as her leg buckled beneath her.

 

            “Fuck,” Lena cursed as Kara sank to the ground, her breathing ragged as her hands fluttered around her legs, abandoning the staff. “What do I do?”

 

            Kara groaned, shaking her head as her face twisted with pain. Her face was streaked with sweat, mud and rain, and her face was gaunt and pale, her lips trembling slightly as she drew in each shuddering breath. Holding out a shaking hand, a flickering white light danced across her fingertips, but she couldn’t keep the magic steady, and clenched her teeth as the dull throb in her leg continued. She couldn’t heal this herself.

 

            “Kara, what do I do?” Lena asked again, her voice begging as she looked at her with concern and fear. “I don’t know how to- to fix bones. I can’t-“

 

            “You’ll have to do it,” Kara hissed through clenched teeth, her leg held at an awkward angle, while her hands grabbed fistfuls of dry earth – they were miles away, and the storm that Eliza had brewed up hadn’t reached this far. “Just … feel the bone, give it some of your magic and knit it back together. Envision it in your mind.”

 

            Lena let out a groan of frustration, her teeth grinding together as she cradled Kara’s leg in her hands, “I-I don’t know what the means. I don’t know how to do that. I’m going to hurt you, Kara, I’ll make it worse, I-“

 

            She cut off as Kara cupped her cheek with a gloved hand – the closest they’d come to skin to skin contact since donning the gloves – and Lena swallowed the panicked words on the tip of her tongue. Giving Lena an urgent look, Kara gave her a smile laced with pain, “I _need_ you to do it though. We have to go- we have to keep moving, and I need to walk. Here.”

 

            Reaching out for Lena’s hand, she pressed it against her sodden jeans, right where the pain was the brightest, and winced slightly, keeping Lena’s hand steady when she tried to draw it back. Staring into the frightened eyes, painted silvery in the dim light from the wisp, Kara kept Lena’s hand on her leg, and swallowed the lump in her throat. “Have you ever broken anything and had it healed?”

 

            Lena nodded, her voice hoarse as she replied, thick with fear, “my arm.”

 

            “How’d you do it?” Kara quietly asked her.

 

            “I was angry,” Lena murmured, “I punched through three feet of stone with my magic. It made me stronger, but it didn’t make my skin invulnerable though. My hand was ruined for a week before my mom let the Healers fix it for me. A lesson for being out of control, and not having the discipline to heal it myself.”

 

            Biting back a scathing comment about the kind of mother Lena’s was, Kara nodded drawing in a deep breath and smiling slightly when Lena subconsciously copied her, “what did it feel like? When you were healed.”

 

            “Like my skin was crawling,” Lena murmured, her shoulders dropping slightly as she breathed out, “the muscles and bone all came back together, and it itched _inside_ , it was horrible. I could feel it all drawing together, like magnets.”

 

            “Like magnets,” Kara agreed, watching as Lena’s eyes turned black and her hand was encased in a black that was slightly darker than her glove and had a slight sheen to it – her aura. “Did you ask them how they did it?”

 

            Lena drew in another breath, nodding her head as she stared straight at Kara, almost as if she was in a trance from the quiet, wavering voice of the blue eyed witch. “Yes. They taught me all kinds of magic, but I could never do it. I was better at the bigger ones – pulling apart buildings, melting rock with my bare hands, and pushing the sea out. I didn’t control that either. My mom … I wasn’t quite the prize she’d imagined.”

 

            Kara winced as her leg started to burn slightly, and she gently coaxed Lena back towards the healing, “how did they tell you to heal?”

 

            “I was taught with potions and physiology as well as spells. For bones … it was always magic, except when a bone was out of place, and they’d tell me to feel the cracks. The collagen in bones is a living breathing thing – my clan learnt long ago how to manipulate living bodies, like puppets on strings – and the calcium phosphate is a mineral, from the earth, so they said it was easy to manipulate the bone. You just had to weave it all back together, stretching it and then making _more_.” As Kara listened to her explain, fascinated by the different ways they’d been taught things, she let herself be distracted from the pain, while she felt the itchiness that Lena had spoken of. Slowly but surely, the fissures in the bone healed – not all the way, but most of it, which was an achievement in itself for Lena – and eventually Lena reached the end of her explanation, blinking as her eyes returned to their usual colour. “I can’t do it.”

 

            Letting out a small laugh, Kara pushed herself to her feet, letting Lena’s hands drop away from her jeans, and put pressure onto her leg, letting out a small sigh of relief when there was only a muted feeling of pain, instead of the sharp stabbing from a few minutes ago. “You already have,” Kara said, giving her a bright smile, luminous even in the dark.

 

            Inhaling sharply, Lena dropped to her knees, reaching out to touch the lower part of Kara’s shin with a trembling finger, _“I_ did that?”

 

 _“You_ did that. Thank you,” Kara sincerely told her, smiling slightly at the look of surprise and the tiny glimmer of happiness dancing in Lena’s eyes as she stared up at her, “it should hold out fine - it barely even hurts now. You did a good job. We should evanesce again.”

 

            Nodding, Lena climbed to her feet, her fear gone as she stared down at her hands. She had _fixed_ something – something alive and growing – and she hadn’t destroyed it. Her hands had _healed_. For the first time in her life, Lena felt some of the hatred at her magic disappear, because she had done something good with it, and while Kara hobbled slightly as she walked, leaning on Lena when she wound her arm around her waist, the lines of her face with smooth, devoid of the pain that had been etched into it earlier.

 

            With the feeling of lightness inside her, Lena whisked them a few more miles, feeling some of her magic sap away, and then she did it again, and again, until Kara forced her to let her have a turn. They always took it in turns, but Lena hadn’t leached her magic in weeks, and she was brimming with power, despite the fights, and was scared that with too much of it, _she_ would be too much. She had healed Kara’s leg, by some stroke of luck, but with her power, she could’ve easily shattered the bones in her leg. Kara was just as strong as her though, although you would never have guessed because of the control she had over her magic, and the non-destructive ways she used it, so Lena begrudgingly let her evanesce them the next time. On and on they went, mile after mile, pushing themselves past exhaustion in their fear that they were being chased, until dawn came, painting the sky pink and lilac, and they both curled up under their blankets in the hollow at the roots of a sprawling oak tree, safe with the wards and boundary spells Kara had set up before passing out. For now, they weren’t exactly safe, but they weren’t in any immediate danger.


	8. Chapter 8

            They pushed themselves to the limits of their powers this time, making the trip in a little under two weeks, and finding themselves barely able to stand in between each jump. Neither of them slept much, preferring to walk through the night so that they could cover more distance, and both of them starving with their meagre supply of food and without the resources to get more. They’d been lucky on the way up, taking a few detours to shake the Daxamite’s – in vain it would seem – and had passed through small towns that they didn’t have the luxury of passing through on the way back, in a rush to be somewhere safe. Yet they made it back to National City safely, with Kara’s leg healed, their auras barely burning embers after draining themselves as much as they could without blowing out their powers, and their cheeks hollow and eyes haunted. They’d fallen upon the first magical door they found, and Kara brought them out at the one closest to the Port, because there could be eyes watching the one right in the centre of the plaza, which meant that they could be seen. They had to be sneaky now. Slipping through alleys, their feet dragging through puddles and trampling rubbish, while their stomachs grumbled at the smell of food wafting from the restaurants, they walked towards the archway leading to the Port, and Kara sent her wisp in to have a nose around, before she slipped into the shadow zone with Lena close behind.

 

            It was the early hours of the morning, the sky painted a pale orange hidden behind grey wisps of clouds, and there were deep shadows everywhere in the dim light of dawn, making it easier for the two girls to slip unnoticed through the twisting streets of the Port, until they saw a door open and a man dressed in blue tossed out onto the street by a dark skinned woman. “Piss off, Brian,” she wearily sighed, “you either rent a room, or you find another place to sleep, I’m not a twenty-four-hour bar.”

 

            Kara swallowed, her mouth parched as she looked at the vaguely familiar woman. M’gann. They had finally made it to Noonan’s, and Kara took a quick step forward, brushing past the grumbling wizard as he slouched off into the steadily brightening dawn, and her hand stopped the door from closing behind the witch who hadn’t given them a second glance as she slipped back into her bar. “Wait!” Kara exclaimed, her voice scratchy, and she hurried to clear it, “my name’s Kara. We’ve met before-“

 

            “I know who you are,” M’gann said, pausing on the threshold as she glanced over her shoulder, cocking her head to the side as she looked at Kara with interest, “you’re Alex’s sister. If you’re looking for her, I haven’t seen her in about a fortnight.”

 

            “She sent me,” Kara said, “she, uh, can I get room …” she cut off, wracking her tired mind for the room number, and reaching out to let her fingers close around Kal-Ex, siphoning the memory from the wisp and looking up at M’gann, “room thirteen, please.”

 

            The other witch hesitated slightly, before nodding, a wary look on her face as she ushered the bedraggled witches inside, casting a look up and down the street, seeming satisfied with her sweep of the place, before locking the door and setting up some wards. Rounding the bar, she pulled an old rusted key out from under the bar, dropping it in Kara’s hand and jerking her head towards the stairs at the back of the room. Winding between ring stained tables with chairs clustered around them, they wearily followed after the barmaid, their footfalls heavy on the wooden stairs, and the smell of alcohol fading behind them as they rose a level, and then another. Kara was beginning to wonder how many steps there would be, when M’gann spoke.

 

            “It’s on the top floor,” she abruptly spoke, and Kara stared at her back, a question of confusion burning on the tip of her tongue, “room thirteen. It’s the fourth floor; next to the cleaning supplies closet and my apartment.”

 

            “Wha-“

 

            “I’m originally from the Mars coven,” M’gann said, “we’re natural telepaths. Those from the Krypton coven are usually taught how to guard their minds from my kind of powers … I guess they didn’t teach you before kicking you out.” Kara spluttered, feeling her cheeks warm, and hoping that none of her thoughts had been offensive to the other woman, who she’d been trying to judge. Much to her surprise, M’gann let out a quick laugh, turning to smile over her shoulder at Kara, “no, you didn’t cause offence. And you, Lena Luthor, you don’t have to worry about an attack off me.”

 

            Looking over at Lena, Kara’s eyes widened slightly, wondering what the other girl had been thinking, and she saw the colour rise in Lena’s cheeks as she flushed with embarrassment, but M’gann didn’t seem offended by Lena’s concern for her own safety. The faint metallic smell seemed to recede from the air, and Kara realized it had been stray wisps of Lena’s magic, all that she could muster right now, and Kara couldn’t help but feel relieved that they were safe, because there was no way they could fight their way out of another sticky situation right now. Plodding up the last set of stairs, Kara had to duck her head slightly to avoid knocking her forehead on the dark beams that crossed the ceiling, and she took in the white plastered walls, the creaky wooden floor, and three doors. One had a thirteen on a plaque, and M’gann gestured for her to open it, which Kara quickly did, pushing open the thick iron-banded door with some trepidation. Peering inside, she found the same white plastered walls and dark wooden floor, which no doubt creaked, a sloped ceiling that was going to be a pain for her, another door, which hopefully led to a bathroom, and only one bed.

 

            “It’s a safe spot that I keep for Battle Mages,” M’gann explained, shrugging slightly, “thirteen is unlucky for most, so no one else wants to hire it. It’s kept your sister safe a few times.”

 

            “Thank you,” Kara said, grateful for a place to stay for now, as well as for Alex whenever she needed one in between missions, when she couldn’t return home.

 

            Lena was silent, and didn’t look eager to see the room as she leant against the wall, almost as if it was holding her up. Kara couldn’t help but feel hollow, like her insides had been scooped out and left an empty shell, and she felt her stomach grumble slightly, while her limbs felt like lead. Food and sleep would help fill her back up, and she opened her mouth to ask a question, but was already being given the answer, by an amused looking M’gann. “Breakfast begins at seven every morning, lunch is until four, and dinner stops at nine. I’ll bring you up meals throughout the day; you should listen to your sister.”

 

            Nodding, Kara gave her a grateful smile, feeling a rush of gratitude for the other witch. Thinking her thanks, Kara reached out with a gloved hand to usher Lena into the room, and she froze on the threshold of the room as words echoed in her mind – not in her own voice – and she turned to look at M’gann’s retreating figure. _She’s pretty_. Feeling herself flush, Kara cleared her throat, listening to the faint sound of laughter disappearing down the stairs, and she stepped into the room, closing and locking the door behind her.

 

            Lena was standing stock still in the middle of the room, looking at the single bed pushed up against the wall on the right, a desk and one chair pushed up against the left wall, beside the bathroom door, and a cupboard was set to the left of the door as Kara walked in. Only one small window illuminated the room, near where the sloping ceiling was at it’s lowest, and a small window seat had been created to make room for a window, given the funny angle of the sloped ceiling. Clearing her throat slightly, Kara set her staff to rest against the side of the cupboard, before pulling off her knapsack and stowing it in the cupboard, which was surprising full, with staffs and other trinkets that she didn’t dare to touch. “You can take the first shower,” Kara said to Lena, taking her coat off and hanging it up in the other half of the cupboard, where freshly laundered Battle Mage clothes of varying sizes were hanging with a faint floral smell drifting off them.

 

            Turning to look at Kara, Lena nodded, taking her own bag off her shoulder and tossing it into the cupboard beside Kara’s, before she silently moved to the bathroom door and opened it. Hesitating slightly, Kara tugged the smallest black tunic and leggings out of the cupboard and walked over to the bathroom door, handing the clean clothes to Lena with a shrug, while taking in the small white tub, porcelain sink with a round mirror above it, and a toilet set beside it. Small but functional. Murmuring her thanks, Lena shut the door, and Kara sat down in the rickety chair at the desk, listening as the shower turned on, and feeling her whole body sag as she waited for Lena to shower, knowing that she was going to be a while.

 

            Waking with a start, Kara looked around, blinking away the tiredness, and she realized that Lena had kicked a chair leg to wake her up, having fallen asleep at the desk, which was now laden with food and drink. Stretching, Kara resisted the urge to tear into the food, and clumsily lurched to her feet, peering at a clean and tidy looking Lena, who had her dark hair up in a towel, and a slightly apologetic look on her face at disturbing Kara’s sleep. Fetching herself some clean clothes from the cupboard, Kara slipped into the bathroom, taking a clean towel from the pile of them on a shelf behind the door, and stripped off her dirty, travel stained clothes. The hot water was a relief, and she couldn’t even stand as her legs shook with the effort, so she sank down to the floor of the tub, scrubbing herself clean with lemon scented soap and feeling all of the grime that wasn’t actually there disappear from her skin. No matter how many spells she did to keep herself clean, she never _truly_ felt clean until she’d had a shower, and after days of depriving themselves the luxury of even a quick dip in a river, Kara never wanted to leave the tub. Eventually her stomach was growling too much, and she regretfully turned the tap off, trading the soothing warmth of the water for the food waiting for her outside.

 

            Dressed in tight fitting leggings, and a tunic that was just a little bit too short at the wrists, Kara stepped back into the cramped room, and took in the sight of Lena, perched carefully on the edge of the bed with her bat cradled in her hands, cooing to it and cutting off when she saw Kara walk in. The food was untouched, much to Kara’s surprise, because she didn’t think she would have the restraint to wait for someone else when she felt like her stomach was eating itself. Sitting down at the desk, Kara poured them both some of the herbal tea, charmed to stay hot in the teapot, and held a cup out to Lena, who accepted it with her quiet thanks, while Aithusa fluttered up to a dark corner. Kara also poured them both some water, which was gratefully cool and soothing on her scratchy throat, before she handed Lena a plate, and the other girl came to stand beside her as they helped themselves to chicken drumsticks, little flat cakes that had currants in them and were dusted with sugar, a bowl of berries, and freshly baked bread and soft cheese. It wasn’t breakfast food, but it was the best breakfast Kara could remember having, and they both finished their meal quickly, reducing the heaping plates to crumbs, and feeling sick at the unfamiliar feeling of being full.

 

            Once she could move again, Kara stole a pillow from the bed and grabbed the extra blanket from the foot of it, making a makeshift bed on the floor, while Lena awkwardly shifted from foot to foot. “I’ll take the floor,” she blurted out when Kara was finished making the bed up.

 

            “Oh no, I’ll take it,” Kara assured her, giving her a bright smile.

 

            “I’ve slept on the floor of a ruin for a third of my life,” Lena argued, “the floor will be comfortable.”

 

            Kara let out a quick laugh, “well _I_ can fall asleep anywhere, and you’re always up half of the night, tossing and turning, so it looks like you need all the help you can get for a good night’s sleep. I’ll be out cold in a minute, it’s fine.”

 

            A slight frown creased Lena’s forehead as she stared at Kara, wondering how Kara knew that she had troubled sleep, but she just gave her a curt nod, climbing onto the bed and sighing softly at the feeling of the mattress giving way beneath her. On the floor, Kara pummeled her pillow into shape and wrapped herself up in the blanket, snapping her fingers to make the witchlight floating overhead gutter and extinguish itself. She couldn’t remember anything else.

 

\---

 

            They didn’t wake up until almost midnight, feeling sore but well rested, and Lena made room for Kara to sit beside her, making sure their skin didn’t touch, while they both sipped water and stared blankly at the wall. Eventually Kara turned to look at Lena, taking it the faint purple shadows underneath her eyes, and the look of relaxation and comfort, looking better than she had since Kara had met her.

 

            “How’d you sleep?” Kara asked, closing her eyes as she tilted her head back against the wall.

 

            Lena breathed deeply, with a slight frown on her face, “better than I ever have. There were dreams ... good ones.”

 

            “Don’t you normally have good dreams?” Kara murmured.

 

            “No,” Lena said, her voice barely above a whisper, “I usually have ... bad ones.”

 

            Kara’s eyes flew open and she turned to look at Lena, who looked like she was in pain as some memory or another flashed across her mind, and with a shaking hand, Kara reached out to give her knee a quick, reassuring pat. “I’m sorry.”

 

            Shrugging, Lena gave her a slight smile, and Kara didn’t know what else to say, so she blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Do you want to meditate?”

 

            Nodding, Lena shifted into the position she was becoming familiar with, while Kara did the same beside her, elbows and knees knocking as the mattress was jostled. Breathing in deeply, Kara quietly began to recite the Kryptonian prayer, while Lena breathed evenly beside her, both of them feeling themselves relax into the usual blankness as Kara spoke, her voice a gentle lull that threatened to send them both back to sleep. It wasn’t long after she finished, both of them blinking slowly as they came back to awareness in the room, that there was a knock on the door, making them both stiffen, and a gentle brush of a mind against theirs _. It’s me._

 

            Breathing out slowly, Kara opened the door with the flick of her wrist, climbing off the bed to go over to it. M’gann still had an apron tied around her waist, a laden tray clutched in her hands, and Kara wondered when she had time to rest, seeing the witch’s lips twitch slightly in amusement. “Good evening,” M’gann said, “I brought you more food, and these. You’ll probably start losing your minds, being cooped up in here all day.”

 

            A pack of playing cards drifted over to the table and settled down on it, while the plates and cups on the table began to nearly stack themselves onto the tray, which drifted over to M’gann, hovering patiently while she let go of the one bearing food and sent that one to take its place. Kara smelt the vague hint of soup - she didn’t know which kind - and her stomach grumbled loudly as she smiled at the barmaid. “Thank you,” she gratefully said.

 

            “I’ll leave you to it,” M’gann said, “if you need anything else, just let me know.” Kara couldn’t help but think that M’gann would know without her telling, and she blushed slightly when the other woman laughed, “no, I can only read minds when I’m focused on a person. It’s like their thoughts are bright spots that I have tune into; don’t worry, I’m not _always_ listening.”

 

            Lena’s shoulders dropped slightly, and the tension seemed to fade from her, while M’gann smiled slightly, before nodding and leaving them both to it. Wandering over to the soup, Lena picked a bowl up and held it out to Kara, along with a spoon and a few slices of crusty bread. They demolished the whole meal, feel stuffed as they sat there waiting for the sickly feeling to go away. Once they were finished, Kara poured them both some tea from the fresh pot brought in, and she reached out for the pack of playing cards, holding them up and smiling at Lena.

 

            “Want to play?” she asked, with a hopeful look in her eyes.

 

            “I don’t know any games,” Lena said, shrugging as she wrapped her hands around the cup, leaching the warmth from it.

 

            Kara gave her a smile, empty out the pack of cards and flicking her wrist, watching as the cards began to twist in elaborate shapes, shuffling themselves in the process, while Lena watched, almost like she was hypnotised. When they settled back into a neat pile, Kara picked them up and crossed over to the bed, facing Lena as they both sat cross legged on the mattress. “I’ll teach you,” Kara earnestly told her.

 

            “Okay,” Lena warily agreed, and Kara immediately began to dole out cards for both of them, until she’d dealt the right number. Hesitating slightly, Lena’s hand hovered over her pile, “can I look?”

 

            Nodding, Kara smiled and picked up her own pile, before giving Lena a quick run down on the rules of the game go fish. They fell into easy conversation as they played the game, with Lena picking it up quickly, and taking it seriously if the crease between her eyebrows was any indication.

 

            “Got any seven’s?” Kara asked.

 

            “Go fish,” Lena told her, “so this wisp thing-“

 

            “Kal-Ex.”

 

            Lena gave her an amused look, “right, Kal-Ex, so, um, what does it _do?_ Any five’s?”

 

            Handing over a five, Kara glanced back down at the own cards, before asked for a two, which Lena begrudgingly handed over. “It stores memories. Can track a person across the country once it’s touched their skin. It can also scout for wards and barriers, and tell me if magic is present.”

 

            “Sounds handy,” Lena murmured, reaching for a random card as she was told to go fish, “I’ve never seen one before.”

 

            Kara smiled up at the curious ball floating overhead as it glowed, “they’re quite rare.”

 

            “How’d you get yours?” another card changed hands, and Kara was silent as she shuffled her cards, putting them into order, ignoring Lena’s question for a few moments.

 

            “My cousin,” Kara eventually replied, her voice even, but her shoulders slightly hunched as she curled inwards, “his name is Kal-El. It was his wisp. He- when I was taken from Krypton, he took me away - to Eliza’s - and he gave me his wisp, and filled it with memories of home. I didn’t know I couldn’t go back then, but he did, so he left me with a ball of memories as the only thing I could remember it by. It was a while before I realised I wasn’t going back. That there was no one to go home to.”

 

            Lena was silent for a few moments, before she reached out and let her hand brush against the back of Kara’s, the leather of their gloves making it safe to do so. “I’m sorry. Losing a home or family is never easy.”

 

            Blowing all the air out of her lungs, Kara shook her head, not trusting herself to speak as her eyes prickled from the pain of memories in her head. She hadn’t told Lena her plan to go home yet - to see those places again, like she had as a child - and Kara gently cleared her throat. “Got any ten’s?”

 

            They carried on playing for a while longer, before Kara won, and neatly packed away the cards. Without a word, Lena climbed off the bed and settled down on the floor, wrapping the blankets around her, and Kara was so tired that she didn’t even protest, she just slipped under the covers and buried her face into the pillow, which smelled faintly of lemon soap and Lena. Her dreams were troubled as she slipped into unconsciousness, being less tired than she had been that morning, filled with dark shadows, ashen faced beneath white hoods, and the panicked begged of another girl asking what she should do. It wasn’t until a feather light brush against her mind changed the dreams to ones of cloudless blue sky’s after it had rained, and the gentle lapping of the sea as Kara stood on what seemed to be the end of the world, that Kara realised that the begging had been Lena’s, and with some uneasiness she relaxed, staring out at the endless blue stretching out before her.

 

\---

 

            With the sounds of the plaza drifting in through the open window, along with a cool breeze and the swooping of a bat, that was as close as the two witches came to going outside for another two days. Instead, they stayed cooped up in the little room, playing cards, feasting on the regular meals brought up, and talking, while Kara laid down on the bed, letting Kal-Ex drift around lazily, before plucking it out of the air and setting it free, when Lena wore a path into the wooden floorboards with each creaky step as she paced. It was maddening being locked up in there - especially for Lena - and they had nothing better to do than talk and sleep, recovering from their trip as their magic slowly returned.

 

            Kara rose first on the fourth day with a sinking feeling in her heart; Alex hadn’t come. The only reason why her sister wouldn’t have been there was because she couldn’t, and the thought terrified Kara as she sat curled up in bed, looking pale and feeling a knot of terror in her stomach.

 

            “She’ll be fine,” Lena quietly murmured, and Kara blinked in surprise, having not heard her stir.

 

            Nodding, Kara gave her a weak smile, “I know. We should get ready to leave as soon as possible.” It wasn’t a lie either, because surely she would know if her sister had been hurt, or her adoptive mother. In her heart, she knew that Alex was just running late, and her sister would be pissed at her if she didn’t listen to her instructions when they finally caught up, so Kara slipped out of bed and quickly showered.

 

            Unsure of when the next time she could shower would be, Kara took her time, before dressing in fresh borrowed clothes from the cupboard, and putting on her navy coat over the top. Her shawl had been left at Eliza’s, and she looked less cheerful, dressed entirely in black and navy, and a few minutes later when Lena stepped out of the bathroom in an identical outfit, and shrugged on her battered black coat, she looked the same as ever. After one more breakfast of eggs and bacon, crispy bacon and pancakes, they grabbed their bags, Kara picked up her staff, and Lena sharply whistles for Aithusa to come down from the beams. They were ready to leave.

 

            M’gann was standing behind the bar when they walked downstairs, her hands a flurry of movements as she made a broom sweep the floor, the chairs turn themselves upside down and settle on the table, and the glasses behind the bar clean themselves. She smiled as the two witches crossed the empty bar, and pushed two large bundles towards them. “Here,” she said, “for your travels.”

 

            It was a heaping pile of food, some medicine, and a clean shirt each, and was accepted with much gratitude and a large amount of relief. They hadn’t planned properly for their departure the past two times, but at least this time they had things that they would need. Kara felt a rush of gratitude for the other witch, who she had come to know better over the frequent visits to their room to drop off food or check on them, and she wasn’t sure how she could repay her. Then her eyes widened slightly in surprise; she couldn’t pay her at _all_ , not even for the room.

 

            M’gann laughed, her dark brown eyes warm as they sparkled with amusement, “don’t worry, I have an agreement with the Head Warlock of the Battle Mages. Your stay is on him.”

 

            “J’onn?” Kara hesitantly asked, remembering Alex’s brief mention of him. She was well acquainted with him, and he was one of the few people who knew her secret, which wasn’t surprising given that he was also from the Mars coven - the green clan, not the white one - so he’d figured it out pretty much instantaneously. Kara had learnt a lot talking to him about his life in Ma’aleca’andra, the home of the four different Mars covens, and had she recalled a conversation with him about his god of Dreams, L’zoril, had first given them the power of telepathy. He'd made no mention of M'gann, and she was curious about how two warring factions with the same coven had become close, but was trying not to think about it because of M'gann's telepathy.

 

            “Mhm,” M’gann smiled, “he’s told me about you, you know, but you’re different from what I expected. And you,” her eyes slid to Lena, “well, I never expected to meet both Seekers during my lifetime. I hope you both find what it is you’re looking for.”

 

            Bundling all of the food and supplies into their bags, Kara and Lena slung the bulging sacks across their bodies, and Lena drew up her hood, missing her scarf too, and gave M’gann a curt nod. “Thank you. I won’t forget your kindness.”

 

            “Thank you, M’gann,” Kara said, her eyes darting towards the door, a part of her hoping that Alex would burst in now and join them.

 

            Rounding the bar, the other witch crossed over to the door and began to unlock it, “you’re both very welcome, and don’t worry, Kara, you’ll see your sister again soon. I’m sure of it.” She felt the gentle brush of M’gann’s mind against her own and fought back the urge to withdraw as the woman’s voice echoed through her mind. _May H’ronmeer watch over you._ The name was familiar to Kara, and she realised it was one of the deities the Mars coven worshipped - the god of death, and sometimes life. She hoped it was the latter kind that was watching over them both.

 

            She didn’t want to ask how the other woman could be so sure, but she nodded anyway, a small smile curling her lips as she stepped outside with Lena close behind. It was still dark, with only the pastel streaks of a muted sunrise to lighten the sky on the horizon, and they both said goodbye once more, before M’gann shut herself inside her bar and locked the door. The chill of the early morning made them shiver, and their breath was visible before them as they looked around. Touching Lena on the sleeve of her coat, Kara nodded in the direction they should go, while Lena’s eyes darted from side to side. The Port was humming with the sluggish energy of tired owners beginning to set up for a long day of business, and they listened to the footsteps on cobblestones, chiming of doorbells as owners arrived at the shops, and the murmur of quiet voices as people set up stalls in the middle of the plaza, the colourful canopies creating a riot of muted colours in the dim light. They didn’t find any trouble at the Port, and it could’ve been any normal day, with the smell of the sea on the air, blown in from the docks not too far away, mixing with the metallic smell as magic pervaded the entire area. Slipping out through the archway, stepping under the raised portcullis, they found themselves back onto the streets of National City.

 

\---

 

            An hour later, after half a dozen doors taking them far and wide across the city, throwing any tails off their trail as well as making their way to their destination, they made it to a large abandoned factory on the outskirts of the industrial area. They came out inside the factory, and Kara swallowed the lump in her throat as she glanced around. She’d only been here once, with Alex, and she knew that the Hub was for a less savoury crowd than the Port, which was the main attraction for magical folk in the city. The Hub was more of a place to find trouble - a knife between the ribs, some spells for dark magic, venomous familiars and herbs that could kill - and Kara felt her heart hammer in her chest as she looked around. She hadn’t come back after that one visit.

 

            The factory had been renovated into a series of rooms, which might’ve been apartments a long time ago, but now were an endless warren of shop stalls, fighting pits, and places to pass out on a futon in a dingy den that sold tobacco and drinks in a rainbow of colours, all with different magical side effects. It wasn’t as polished as the Port, and there were holes in the floors of some of the upper levels, while other rooms were missing entire walls, and there was no such thing as doors here. Scorch marks left black stains on the floors, and the air smelt metallic, and Kara was almost certain it was the faint tang of blood as well as magic. Here, you either charmed your stuff to yourself, or you found yourself losing it, and maybe an eye in the process if you tried to get it back. Inching past a huddle of wizards and witches clustered around a bin, which was burning with green fire as they warmed their hands over it, speaking in a guttural language from a different coven, Kara pulled Lena along by the hand, holding on tightly to make sure they didn’t get separated.

 

            They approached the first stall they came to - a sign proclaiming _Livewire Energy Crystals -_  a witch dressed in black leather with white hair running it, and Kara examined the crystals set out in neat rows. She already knew what they were, and was relieved that it was something at least somewhat normal as far as magic went, even if only a little illegal. They were energy crystals, for people to store power in and draw on at a later dater if they needed to. They were reserved to Battle Mages, or other official protectors, and Kara had gone to Alex’s work dozens of times to let her magic be siphoned away onto little crystals to help keep her from growing too strong. She hadn’t told Lena that - she wanted Lena to think that one day she could manage her powers as well as Kara could, not be afraid of them forever, knowing that she would have to keep herself weak to not lash out with magic.

 

            “Excuse me, I was wondering if you could help. We’re, uh, looking for someone,” Kara said, giving the woman a warm smile.

 

            The witch was busy cleaning her fingernails with a small knife, and she didn’t even both to look up, “are you looking or buying?”

 

            “We’re looking for someone,” Kara repeated.

 

            “That’s nice, I sell crystals,” the woman bluntly replied.

 

            Feeling irritated, but knowing that it wasn’t the right place to let her temper get out of control, Kara took a deep breath and plastered a bright smile on her face. “If you could just help-“

 

            “It’ll cost you,” the woman said, looking up and meeting Kara’s blue eyes with a pair of her own.

 

            “What’s the price?” Lena cut in, a flicker of impatience crossing her face.

 

            The other witch smiled, but it did nothing to ease Kara’s qualms about the cost of information here, and the other witch shrugged casually, rifling through a chest behind the stall and pulling out a yellow crystal, holding it in the palm of her hand. “Know what these do, sunshine?” she asked Kara, who nodded quickly, “do me a favour and I’ll tell you what you need to know.”

 

            Kara knew what she meant and reached out, but Lena’s gloves hand wrapped tightly around her wrist as she gave the witch a wary look. “How do we know you’ll be able to tell us where we can find this person?”

 

            “You don’t.” the other witch smiled, her eyes sharp as she stared at Lena, and purplish blue lightening flickered on her fingertips, “but I’m clearly your best bet, if you don’t know where to find them. The price is for my time, now, are you going to pay it or fuck off?” The witch’s patience was wearing thin, waiting for them to either pay the price of leave so she could go back to manning the stall in peace.

 

            Giving Lena an exasperated look, Kara wrenched her hand out of her grip, and Lena huffed, muttering curses under her breath in a language that Kara couldn’t understand, but her tone said it all. Reaching out, Kara picked up the crystal, and started channeling her aura into it, her eyes turning white as the hand clutching the crystal glowed white, her aura thickening there. If the witch noticed the extremely rare white of her aura, she didn’t mention it, and once Kara had given enough magic, she cut off the connection, keeping the crystal tightly clutched in her hand. When the white haired witch held out a hand for it, Kara pulled her hand back, not trusting the witch to give them the information they needed if they gave her what she wanted before getting it. Dark painted lips curled up into a smile, as they witch leant on the edge of her stall, arching an eyebrow at Kara, “go on then, who’re you looking for?”

 

            “We’re looking for a witch called Maggie,” Kara said, and the other witch clucked her tongue as she rolled her eyes.

 

            “You’re going to have to be a bit more specific than that, sweetheart,” she said, and Kara scowled at the condescending way the other witch talked to her.

 

            “She’s a Bounty Hunter,” Kara said.

 

            “With two eyes,” Lena chipped in, remembering Alex’s comment about finding _that_ specific Maggie.

 

            The other witch pressed her lips together, a thoughtful look on her face as she drummed her fingers on the countertop of the stall. “The Bounty Hunter one, huh? Are you sure about that? She’ll tear you to pieces if you catch her in a bad mood.”

 

            Sighing, Lena crossed her arms over her chest, “do you know where she is or not?”

 

            “Oh yeah, she's always lingering about,” the witch laughed, “you might wish I _didn’t_. Her usual haunt is The Bonsai.”

 

            “Where’s that?” Kara asked.

 

            With another cold laugh, the witch held her hand out for the crystal, which Kara held out to her, stopping just before the woman’s fingers grazed the yellow stone. “Well, that wasn’t what your paid for.”

 

            Lena grabbed Kara’s arm and jerked her backwards, her face dark as she glared at the witch, darkness brewing in her eyes as they turned black. Afraid that Lena was going to get them into more trouble, Kara tried pushing her away, but Lena just casually flicked her wrist, scattering all of the crystals as they pelted the witch, who let out a shout of surprise. Cursing under her breath, Kara shook her head, the yellow crystal clutched tightly in her hand, biting into the brown leather, and she roughly pulled Lena along with her, her hand balled into the sleeve of her coat. The squeeze through the throngs of people milling around the place, and the witch wasn’t the only one loudly shouting about thieves and cursing them, and soon enough her words faded from their ears, swallowed up by the sounds of scuffles as people fought with their magic and fists, while stall owners hawked their wares, trying to make themselves heard over the din. Rounding a group of people surrounding two women squatting as they played a game of runes, rattling the stones and tossing them down, while chipping in coins and notes to the prize pool, they found themselves in a relatively quiet area of the building.

 

            “Why did you do that?” Kara sharply asked, shoving the yellow crystal into her coat pocket as she dropped Lena’s arm and rounded on her.

 

            “Because who knew _what_ she was asking for!” Lena exclaimed, “what if she sold it to the Daxamite’s? How much do you think they would pay for traces of your aura? Who knows, maybe she recognized you and they’re already on their way here now.”

 

            Kara exhaled sharply, running a hand through her blonde hair, “I know what price I was paying. I’ve paid it before. It was energy – magical energy – it wasn’t going to do us any harm.”

 

            Making a disapproving sound, Lena’s eyes darted around, keeping an eye out for anyone who would try and mug them or pick a fight, “and what about when _you_ need your magic? What if we get into trouble and you’re too weak to defend yourself?”

 

            “You mean defend _you?”_ Kara asked.

 

            “Yes, I do,” Lena snapped, “I’m only here because of _you._ I was perfectly happy in my forest and-“ Lena cut off, her eyes turning black for a few moments, before she exhaled softly, almost like a small gasp.

 

            Kara gripped her by the shoulders, shaking her gently as she looked at her with concern, a prickle of fear making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. “Lena. What is it? Are they coming?”

 

            With a wry smile, Lena shrugged Kara’s hands off her shoulders, nudging her as she nodded towards a rickety set of stairs, “I know where our two-eyed Maggie is.”

 

            Breathing out a sigh of relief, Kara gave her a small smile, and they both quickly made for the staircase, gingerly climbing each step with trepidation, passing wizards covered in what looked like blood, a sorcerer with milky blind eyes who was muttering to himself, and a woman wearing an eye patch, and Kara couldn’t help but wonder if she was Maggie with one eye, not two. She followed Lena, holding onto her hand tightly, partly out of fear, but also so she didn’t get swallowed up by the swarms of people everywhere. It was almost dizzyingly claustrophobic, but Lena was confident as she led them up to the third floor, weaving in and out of people, side-stepping holes in the floor and dodging stalls, until she stopped in front of a dingy room with a black curtain covering the place where a door should’ve been, and a green hand painted sign identifying it as The Bonsai, with a tiny little tree painted beside it. Glancing at each other, they both swallowed the lumps in their throats, and Lena gave Kara’s hand a reassuring squeeze, but neither of them let go as Kara stepped forward, sweeping the curtain aside as she stepped into a dimly lit bar.

 

            The room glowed faintly orange from the witchlights dotted around the place, and the air was hazy from the thick smoke coming from a bunch of people smoking as they milled around, some playing pool, while others drank their drinks. Others were playing runes in booths, oblivious to the shouts around them, while others healed broken noses or split knuckles from fighting, and some muttered to themselves, trying to perfect the illusions they wove in the air before them. A bored burly barman stood behind the grimy bar, wiping a dusty glass with a cloth as he ignored his patrons. They both warily stepped into the bar, and even with their shabby coats, it was glaringly obvious that they didn’t belong there, but Kara squared her shoulders, and Lena stubbornly jutted her chin forward as they both walked in. No one even glanced up at them, and they looked towards the raucous shouts and loud swearing from the other end of the room, watching as a tiny witch, shrouded in a green smoke from the cigarette clamped between lips set in a determined line, cracked a pool cue across a hulking man’s back, snapping it in half. She tossed the half she held aside, punching him squarely across the face and watched him stagger. Hopping up onto the side of the pool table, her legs dangling two feet off the ground, she sat there watching him with amusement dimpling her cheeks, plucking the cigarette out of her mouth and picking up a tumbler filled with amber liquid. Draining it in one mouthful, she smashed the glass against the mans head as he came at her again, and he sank to the floor unconscious.

 

            “Anyone else want to accuse me of cheating at pool?” she asked no one in particular, while a few customers chuckled, and with a smug look on her face, she took a drag of her cigarette, green wisps of smoke curling out of her mouth as she made the shards of her broken glass reassemble, and hopped down off the pool table, landing firmly on the dirty floor and purposely stepping on the man’s stomach as she crossed over to the bar, leaning over it to pluck a bottle of scotch off the counter, and filled up her glass.

 

            With a sinking feeling in her stomach, Kara had a feeling that _that_ was Maggie. She was probably half a foot shorter than Kara, with a smirk on her lips and her brown eyes amused. She wore a black leather jacket, and everything about her seemed to scream trouble, and Kara couldn’t help but wonder where her sister had bumped into her – surely Alex didn’t come _here_ that often? - let alone why they had ever struck up a conversation and got to know each other well enough for Alex to trust this bar brawling Bounty Hunter with her sister’s, life in her stead. Swiftly crossing the room, Kara cleared her throat as she neared the small woman, telling herself that she had nothing to be afraid of – what would she do? Knock her out? Kara hadn’t done anything to wrong her.

 

            “Excuse me,” Kara said, her voice steady despite her nerves, “I’m looking for someone called Maggie.”

 

            Before she could even blink, the point of a knife was a hairsbreadth away from her throat, and Kara swallowed thickly as she stared down the length of the sharpened metal. Maggie outed her cigarette on the bar, leaving a small black circle burned into the wood, and blew out a stream of green smoke as she turned to look at Kara, having not moved from her seat at the bar. The knife hovered in midair, held steady by the one finger that Maggie had pointed at Kara, controlling the knife and ready to slit her throat if she made a wrong step. “Who’s asking?” came the cool response.

 

            Kara almost collapsed out of relief at the familiar voice that came from behind her, as Alex stepped into the bar, her thin face flecked with black mud and dried blood, smirking slightly as she arched an eyebrow at the three women who had whirled around at the sound of her voice. “My sister, you ass.”


	9. Chapter 9

            “Danvers, you haven’t shown your face around here in a while,” Maggie said, her dimples carving deep lines into her cheeks as she smiled at Alex, “what, no kiss for me?”

 

            Rolling her eyes, Alex walked further in, “sorry, Mags, we’re in a bit of a rush.”

 

            “No time for a drink?” Maggie asked, pouting as she tilted her head to the side, her eyes dancing with amusement.

 

            As Alex reached her, Kara threw her arms around her neck, breathing in the smell of damp earth and metal and feeling the warmth between her touch. She was fine - late, but fine - and Kara pulled back, hesitating as she asked the next question, the one word all she could manage in her fear. “Eliza?”

 

            Letting out a short laugh, Alex gave Kara’s shoulder a quick squeeze, her lips twitching with a smile, “mom’s fine. Better than fine - who knew she was such a badass, right? I got caught up with letting her patch us all up. Sorry I’m late.”

 

            An overwhelming surge of relief washed over Kara and she exhaled sharply, closing her eyes as she nodded. They were all safe for now. Turning to Maggie, she gave her a hesitant smile when she saw the other witch staring at her closely. Holding out a hand, Kara cleared her throat slightly, “I’m Kara, this is Le-“

 

            Her hand was batted aside and Maggie gave her a look of irritation, “you’re an idiot, is what you are. Don’t say another word until we get out of here.”

 

            Eyes widening slightly, Kara turned to look at Alex, who shrugged apologetically, and she made a small sound of indignation curling her hand into a fist as she let her hand drop back to her side. Tossing a few crumpled notes onto the bar, Maggie grabbed Alex by the arm and began towing them towards the door, while Kara scrambled closely after them, her hand instinctively reaching out, searching for Lena’s. They stepped back through the curtain, letting the heavy fabric fall back into place behind them, and quickly followed after Alex and Maggie, who were weaving in and out of the heaving crowd of people.

 

            It wasn’t long before they lost them. One second Kara had been tailing her sister’s black robe, and the next minute she’d lost her as two men with a giant mirror cut her off. In her reflection, she saw Lena’s pale face staring from just behind her shoulder, her eyes intense as she stared right back at Kara, and then behind her other shoulder ... a hand. A jolt ran through Kara as a small hand wrapped around the hovering blue ball, snatching it out of the air, and Kara whirled around.

 

            “Hey!” Kara yelled, watching as dark hair disappeared through the crowd, and she took off after her, pushing back through the way they’d come. Behind her, Lena groaned, throwing her head back as she took in a deep breath, before storming off after Kara, crackling with energy and annoyance.

 

            Kal-Ex was tied to her, which meant that if the wisp strayed more than five feet away from her, Kara would know. The only way it would stray more than five feet away was if it was stolen, and if it was stolen, she could track it through the thread that linked them. She followed that thread of magic through the crowd, darting around people, being shoved aside when she got in the way of a woman carrying some crates, cut off by men selling lucky charms or dark curses, and she soon lost sight of the culprit, but she always felt that thread.

 

            Making it up to the fourth floor, which was perhaps the dingiest floor, with rats scurrying around, the floorboards rotted away, and a leaky roof, Kara hesitantly walked through the crowd, which was slightly more thinned out. It was a few more minutes before she reached the place where Kal-Ex was, and threw aside a ragged blanket hanging in a doorway to peer inside. Her hand shot out fast, catching the young girl’s hand, which was glowing faintly pink - the other glowing blue from the light of the wisp - and Kara blinked in surprise as she stared at her. The girl couldn’t have been more than twelve or thirteen, with wide dark eyes, now flickering with fear, and as Kara’s eyes shifted to the room, her eyes widened slightly.

 

            Cramped into the small place were half a dozen more kids, perched on chairs with three legs, wrapped in a threadbare blanket as she huddled up together on the floor, or sitting on a thin, lumpy mattress. Everyone was silent for moment, the only sound the ping of water dripping into a nearly full bucket, and the shallow, scared breathing on the kids, mingling in the dank, rotten air of the room. In Kara’s distraction, the girl wrenched her hand out of Kara’s grip and then kicked her in the shin for good measure, hobbling Kara, who was swearing under her breath as she hopped.

 

            “Stop!” Kara called after her as the girl fled the room, limping for the door and stepping outside just in time to snag the girl’s arm at the same time that Lena tackled her around the waist. Gingerly walking on the rotting floorboards was already pushing it, and as the three of them collapsed to the ground, the fell through the floor, straight down to the floor below. All three of them groaning as they landed in a tangled heap, with splinters of wood and a shower of dust raining down around them.

 

            Coughing as she pushed herself to her hands and knees, Kara was too slow to stop the girl as she sprang to her feet with a little less grumbling, stopped by a heavy hand on her shoulder. “Give it here, Ruby,” Alex wearily said, holding out a hand.

 

            Kara looked up to see a look of amusement on her sister’s face as she looked at the girl with a familiar warmth, a hand held out expectantly for the wisp. Rolling her eyes, the girl - Ruby - slapped the blue ball of energy into Alex’s hand, assuring the witch that she was fine when Alex asked her with concern. Ducking out from under Alex’s hand, she slipped back into the crowd, no doubt off to steal something else, leaving Kara and Lena still on the floor. Alex pulled them both to their feet, giving them both an exasperated look.

 

            “Really?” she sighed, “you couldn’t stay out of trouble for longer than _five_ minutes?”

 

            “She stole Kal-Ex!” Kara exclaimed, reaching out for the ball and holding it tightly in her hand while it hummed.

 

            “Yeah well no shit,” Maggie huffed, “they’re pretty rare. She _obviously_ didn’t know any better though, unlike everyone else here. What, you think that that little thing was still following after you because no one wanted to steal it? Honey, they’d have the clothes off your back if they could get a price for it. Now, let’s go, before you break something _else.”_

 

            Thinking it wise not to mention the incidence at the stall on the way in, Kara let Alex take her and Lena by the arm, dragging them both along quickly as she followed after Maggie. Down two flights of stairs, they found themselves back on the ground floor, and when they passed the white haired girl’s stall, Kara ducked her head, but didn’t go unnoticed.

 

            “Oh so you found her then?” the witch shouted as they slipped past, still neatly arranging the crystals on the trays, “yeah, you’re welcome assholes.”

 

            “Piss off, Leslie,” Maggie called at her, shutting the other witch up as she shot daggers at Kara and Lena, who were giving Alex sheepish looks under her disapproving eye.

 

            Slipping into the door, the four of them huddled in the tiny space, while Maggie, the closest, pressed a hand that sparked with orange against the wood, and they all tumbled out into sunshine. The crisp, clean air was welcome after the Hub, and so was the emptiness of the alleyway, occupied but nothing except a few crates and bags of rubbish, and a tabby cat that hissed at them at the sudden disturbance. Crunching glass beneath her boots, and splashing through the shallow puddles, Kara followed after her sister without question, checking to make sure Lena was keeping up with her. Smiling softly at the sight of Lena with her arm raised, stroking the fuzzy stomach of the bat dangling from her coat sleeve, Kara turned back around, trying to tune into the conversation Alex and Maggie were having, but found herself getting lost with the names and references to places and things she knew nothing about. By the time they reached Maggie’s large apartment in the East Village, Kara was already tired again, despite the early hour.

 

            With cups of coffee in hand, they sat around the table, listening to Maggie grumble as she banged cupboards open and closed, looking for something to shake away the scotch that she’d been drinking all night. Kara supposed that a perk of being a Bounty Hunter was keeping your own hours, and Maggie seemed to have no problem with drinking until the early hours of the morning and sleeping all day, which she was loudly grumbling about not being able to do.

 

            “I can’t believe I’m giving up _sleep_ for a job I’m not even getting _paid_ for,” she grumbled, finding a little red tonic that she downed in one mouthful, slamming it down on the counter like she’d taken a shot.

 

            “How do we know we can even trust you for the job?” Lena bluntly asked, and Alex choked on her coffee, shaking her head at Lena in a silent warning, as Maggie froze, staring at her hard.

 

            Then she smiled, snagging her cup of coffee and sitting down at the table, “because if I wanted to, I could’ve let Kara here announce your name to the whole bar, Miss Luthor. Yes, I know who you are, and imagine how much money I could fetch for one Seeker. A million at least, probably more. Now imagine how much I could get for the matching pair.”

 

            “They’re not a pair of fucking _shoes,_ Maggie,” Alex sighed, rolling her eyes as she shook her head.

 

            “Yeah, well, thanks for telling me your sister was a fucking Seeker. You _conveniently_ forgot to mention that part, didn’t you?” Maggie snarkily replied, raising her eyebrows questioningly.

 

            Blushing slightly, Alex shrugged, taking a sip of her coffee, and Kara frowned, “I’m sorry, but _how_ do you two know each other?”

 

            Maggie gave Kara a wry smile, “your sister hires my help sometimes.”

 

            “Oh,” Kara murmured, “and, uh, what help is that exactly? I mean, you’re a Bounty Hunter, but Alex catches people by herself so ...”

 

            “I'm a Tracker. I can see magic,” Maggie said, her brown eyes glowing slightly orange - not enough to fill her whole eye, but enough to make her irises look like two burnished copper pennies. “I can see the threads of it, like string. It’s not _just_ seeing the auras - it’s different - and I can track people with those threads. Now, you two ... you’re strange. Your magic is connected.”

 

            Alex leant forward slightly to interior, “they can’t touch each other without setting off a flare big enough for Trackers to pick up on.”

 

            “You don’t say,” Maggie mused, narrowing her eyes as she tilted her head to the side, her eerie orange eyes flicking between Kara and Lena.

 

            “What is it?” Lena asked, her pale face serious as she shifted in her seat.

 

            Blinking, Maggie’s eyes went back to their normal brown, and she reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out a packet of cigarettes, placing one between her teeth and lighting it with a flame from her thumb. Leaning back in her seat, she stared hard at both girls, the cigarette dangling from her slender fingers as wisps of blue smoke curled out of her mouth. “You see, the thing with magic is, if you can see it, you see it confined to the person. Their aura covers their whole body, and it’s usually thick right here,” she jabbed at her own heart, “a bright glow that spreads to the rest of the body, and it’s usually thick around the head and hands as well. You two ... it’s _everywhere_ , and it’s not a bright glow, it’s _heavy_. There’s too much power.”

 

            Kara saw Lena swallow thickly, and her own mouth felt dry as she looked at Maggie, “we know. What does that mean?”

 

            Cracking a quick smile, Maggie took a drag of her cigarette and drained her coffee, “it means I’ve got a couple of time bombs on my hands.”

 

            Lena turned a shade paler, seeming to be a monochrome picture as she sat there all black and white, except for her green eyes, filled with fear as she tried to stamp down her panic. Kara wanted to groan - Maggie didn’t know that she’d put her foot in it, that her magic blowing up was one of Lena’s biggest fears - and she ran a hand through her hair, wishing that she was anywhere else. Anyone else.

 

            Oblivious to the uneasiness inside both girls, Maggie clapped her hands together, smirking slightly, “so, what’s the plan then, huh?”

 

            “We’re getting them out of the city,” Alex told her.

 

            “Uh huh, where?” Maggie murmured in agreement, outing the cigarette in an ash tray and snapping her fingers to make it empty itself, before shaking out a mint from a pack she procured. Holding them out, she shook the tin, rattling the mints inside, a silent question asking if anyone else wanted one. Numbly putting her hand out as Maggie poured some tiny green balls in her hand.

 

            Tipping her head back, Kara shoved the mints into her mouth, feeling her tongue burn as the overly strong taste filled her senses, making her sneeze as her eyes watered. She hadn’t realised they were magic ones. Wiping her running eyes, she locked eyes with all three women, who were looking at her with amusement and expectancy.

 

            “What?” Kara asked, her tongue tingling from the after effects of the magic.

 

            “Where are we going?” Alex asked, arching an eyebrow.

 

            Eyes darting to Lena, Kara licked her lips as she hesitated, “Hawaii.”

 

            There was silence for a few moments, and Lena sat tensely in her chair, her hands flat on the table and her shoulders hunched. “No.”

 

            “Lena-“

 

            “You knew before we left that I didn’t want anything to do with _this_ ,” Lena stiffly told her.

 

            “Lena-“

 

            “No, Kara!” Lena snapped, pushing herself up to her feet and looking at her in anger, “I’m not getting caught because of your stupid need to go and find answers that _I_ don’t want!”

 

            Sighing, Kara climbed to her feet, reaching out to gently touch her on the arm, “I know you said you didn’t want to, but we can’t split up now. Where are you going to go?”

 

            “Not to Hawaii.”

 

            Rolling her eyes, Kara pressed her lips together in a grim line, “come on, you know as well as I do that they won’t stop hunting us now that they have us near each other. Either they capture us and force us to find the Codex, keeping us prisoners for the rest of our lives, or we do it willingly, and I know which one I prefer.”

 

            Lena let out a snort of laughter that was devoid of any humour, arching an eyebrow at Kara, “there’s a third option; they kill us.”

 

            “Both of you sit down,” Alex said, sighing as she shook her head, sharing an exasperated look with Maggie. Both witches slowly sank back down into their seats, cradling their cups of coffee in their hands. “No one is dying, so what’s the plan? Lena, do you have a better one?”

 

            “Yes, I move to Alaska and Kara moves to Brazil and we never see each other again,” Lena dryly replied, her lips twitching slightly.

 

            Pressing her lips together to stop herself from smiling, Alex drummed her fingers on the table, “you have two options, the way I see it. Either you see this thing through to the end - to whatever that end is - or you stop now spend your whole life hiding and scared. You’ll be looking over your shoulder at every moment, scared about leaving the house. You’ll be back in a shadow zone, scared to use your magic. If you see this through ... you could live a normal life. Both of you could learn to control your magic.” Kara winced at that, hoping that Lena didn’t pick up on it. “Pick. Both of you, pick now. Go out onto the fire escape, have a chat and then come in and tell us what you decided on, because, Kara, I promised mom I’d keep you safe, and Maggie and I need to come up with a plan to do that. Try _not_ to throw each other over the railing while you’re out there.”

 

            Climbing to her feet, Kara picked up her coffee and walked over to the window, sliding it up and hoisting one leg outside while she ducked her head, the fire escape rattling as she landed on it. Sitting down on the bottom step of the flight of rusted steps, she waited for Lena to follow her out, and a few minutes later she was leaning against the railing, her hands wrapped around the metal as she tipped her head back and breathed in the smell of smoke and and pancakes from the diner below, her eyes closed as she basked in the pale sunlight. They were both silent for a few moments, and Kara was content to watch her, taking in the way that Lena’s eyelashes brushed her prominent cheekbones, and the way that the slight breeze ruffled her hair. And then Lena was staring at her, jolting her out of her thoughts, and Kara blushed slightly as she quickly averted her gaze.

 

            “Just tell me why you want to go there. Your family’s dead, you have, what, one cousin? As far as you know. Why do we need to go to Krypton?”

 

            “It’s not about my family,” Kara quickly told her, pulling the glove off her left hand, the black compass pattern in stark contrast to her light complexion, “I need answers for this.”

 

            “I thought you said no one could read it,” Lena said, her eyes darting down to look at the strange turns.

 

            Kara shrugged, a slight frown on her face as she looked down at it, “I’m hoping the Council of Elders will be able to translate the runes. It might explain where we’re going, or what we’re doing. Didn’t you ever wonder about what your own ones said?”

 

            Shifting slightly, Lena shrugged, her jaw clenching and unclenching, “I mean, yes, of course, but that doesn’t mean we should know. It might be better off not knowing.”

 

            “I just ... I really think we need to see this through,” Kara quietly said, slipping the brown leather back onto her hand, hiding the black whorls and lines, “Alex is right, we have two options.”

 

            “And the third,” Lena said with a wry smile, eliciting a smile from Kara.

 

            “Right, well is like to not think of dying as an option, so, um, do you want to go back?” Kara asked.

 

            Lena hesitated, blowing all the air out of her cheeks as she ran a hand through wild curls. Her black gloves were flecked with orange rust, and she left a streak in her dark hair. “To my shadow zone? I would kill to go back there, to- to get rid of this magic that I can feel growing every day. Maggie’s right, we’re time bombs. You can’t control your magic either? Not when you’re at your full strength.” Kara guiltily shook her head, ducking her head in embarrassment. “Yeah, you seemed way too familiar with these.”

 

            Pulling a yellow crystal out of her pocket, Lena gave Kara a crooked smile as her eyes widened, and her hand patted her pocket where the crystal had been. “Hey!”

 

            Tossing the yellow crystal back to Kara, who deftly caught it, Lena smiled, “so any other lies I should know about before making up my mind?”

 

            “I wasn’t lying,” Kara hotly replied, her cheeks reddening slightly, “I was-“

 

            “Trying to help,” Lena smiled, dropping down into a crouch before Kara, her green eyes soft, “I know, and thank you for giving me some hope that I could manage this.” A wisp of black smoke trailed along with her hand as she gestured around vaguely.

 

            Giving her a grim smile, Kara reached out, her gloved fingers brushing the rust from Lena’s hair, and she explained herself with a small shrug, “rust.”

 

            Self-consciously wiping her hands on her coat, and then tousling her hair again, Lena gave her a grateful smile. “Now, the shadow zone ... yes, I would kill to go back there, but that place is dead. They know where I live, they’ve probably ransacked my hovel for all five of my belongings, and I have nothing to go back to. But I don’t want to find the answer to whatever riddles are written on our skin. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life running from people because I unlocked a magical place or own a magical book. I don’t want to run and I don’t want to hide, I just want to be left _alone_.”

 

            “I know, and I do to. I want my _normal_ life. I want to make potions and sell herbs, and go to bars with my friends, and I want my apartment back - thanks for that, by the way - but I also don’t want to bottle it all up. I can’t use my magic for anything I want to, but I _want_ that. Do you ever get that itch to just use it? I want to be able to weave illusions and learn sorcery, not just grind plants and light flames with a snap of my finger and clean clothes. What if we find this Codex, whatever it is, and it helps us control our magic? _No one_ would be able to stop us, no matter what,” Kara said, weaving the dream of a future they both wanted.

 

            Lena listened with grim resignation, realising that she did want that. She wanted friends, she wanted a real house, and more than one coat that was being held together with a few stitches of thread and more magic that she cared to admit. Rocking slightly in her crouched position, Lena clenched her teeth and gave Kara a tight smile. “What if one of us dies along the way? What if we have to give up everything for this? Is it worth it? If you die, will it be worth it? To you, and your family.”

 

            “I have to try,” Kara simply replied, because she knew that the Daxamite’s knew where where Eliza lived now, and they knew where she had lived, and how long would it be before they found out where Alex lived? Or Winn? She could get them all killed, so she had to try. If she didn’t try, and someone she cared about got hurt, she would hate herself forever. “I’m in, are you?”

 

            Hesitating slightly, Lena climbed to her feet and gave her a curt nod, “I’m in.” Kara climbed to her feet as well, holding out a gloved hand to shake on their deal, and Lena warily shook it once, “if you die, I’ll bring you back just to kill you _again.”_

 

            “You know necromancy?” Kara asked, and a bubble of laughter escaped Lena’s mouth as she shook her head.

 

            “Not practically, just theoretically.”

 

            An uneasy feeling spread through Kara at Lena’s admittance of knowing what was considered one of the darkest forms of magic there was. “Right, um, I’ll try not to get us killed.”

 

            Smiling, Lena walked back over to the window, pulling it up and climbing back into the apartment, with Kara close behind. Alex and Maggie were still sitting at the table, finishing their coffee as they chatted, and once the window was closed behind Kara, they cut off. “So, what’s the verdict?” Alex asked.

 

            “Hawaii,” Lena curtly replied.

 

            Jumping to her feet, Maggie’s face lit up with an excited smile, “a long trip. God I love them. Right, well, I’d better pack my shit.”

 

            They stood there as they watched Maggie fetch a worn leather satchel from under her bed, already rattling with stuff she must’ve taken on her last job, and began to sort through everything. “Are you two just going to stand there like lemons? Make yourself useful,” Maggie said, looking up at Kara and Lena. Alex was already rifling through the medicine cabinet in the bathroom with an ease that shocked Kara; she was comfortable here.

 

            “What should we do?” Lena asked.

 

            Maggie tossed her a canteen, which Lena caught with her telekinesis before it hit the floor, “get some food.”

 

            “Should I make sandwiches or something?” Kara asked, drifting towards the kitchen cupboards.

 

            “Sandwiches?” Maggie snorted, “what, are we going on a fucking _picnic?”_

 

            Lena let out a short laugh, giving Kara an apologetic smile at the wounded look she was given, and Kara’s cheeks turned slightly pink. She wasn’t sure if she liked Maggie or not, but she couldn’t help but admire her casual arrogance and her confidence, like a little chihuahua who didn’t know how small they were. Kara wasn’t so sure she could beat her in a fight though, so perhaps her confidence and arrogance was well placed.

 

            Opening and closing cupboards, Kara and Lena pulled out any packaged snacks or convenient foods for travelling, which was most of it, given the nature of Maggie’s job, and made a pile on the kitchen counters. Alex returned with an armful of medicinal supplies and toiletries for Maggie, and snagged a bottle of rum from the liquor cabinet, shrugging at Kara’s raised eyebrows. Once they were done, they waited for Maggie to finish getting ready, and Kara steadily watched Lena who was drifting around the room, inspecting all of the magical artefacts.

 

            Reaching out to pick up a small rune engraved knife, Lena jumped slightly at Maggie’s loud voice. “Don’t touch that! It’s cursed!” Almost dropping it in her haste to put it back, Lena looked startled as she turned around, and Maggie cracked a wide smile, walking over and clapping Lena on the back. “Nah, I’m just fucking with you, Lee. Can I call you Lee?”

 

            “No,” Lena scowled, not appreciating being the butt of Maggie’s joke.

 

            Seemingly unbothered, Maggie shrugged, buckling a belt around her waist. There were two sheathes attached, with white bone handles, and they laid flat against the small of Maggie’s back as she tightened the belt, both handles jutting out slightly to each side so she could easily grab them. She had a dark rust coloured jumper on, and a tanned leather vest zipped up, giving off the vibe of an eccentric biker, who was no less dangerous for the odd look. From her right shoulder to her left hip looped what looked like an ammo belt, but in the place of bullets were white runestones inscribed with different runes prepared for different spells. Lastly, she grabbed a burgundy cloak, which went under her right arm and over her left shoulder, fastened with a plain broach.

 

            “Alright, I think I’ve got everything,” Maggie murmured, patting down seven knives to make sure she had them all, before sweeping everything into her satchel, tying a neatly rolled blanket to it and then slinging that across her body. All four of them stood facing each other for a few moments, all looking odd in one way or another, and Maggie smiled.

 

            Turning to look at Lena, Kara hesitated slightly, “can you check to see if we’re going to run into trouble when we leave?”

 

            Lena rolled her eyes, gripping the quartz crystal around her neck, “that’s not how visions work.”

 

            “Oh, you’re a Seer,” Maggie said, blinking in surprise, “well, we all make for an interesting party. A Seer, a Tracker, a Battle Mage and ... sorry, what do you do?”

 

            Kara bristled slightly, “I’m an apothecarist.”

 

            “Right,” Maggie replied, “well, to Hawaii it is.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> they can't catch a break lmao

            Having spent the past month travelling with Lena, Kara found it very crowded and loud to have the four of them traipsing across the country. Kara was surprised at how much sound they were making as they stepped on branches, snapping them with loud cracks, and rustling leaves or long grass with every step – everyone except Lena – and she couldn’t help but wonder if she had been that irritatingly loud on her trip to and from Eliza’s. Accustomed to the woods, Lena moved like a shadow over the ground, barely making a sound, and Kara felt herself checking to make sure she was there, and hadn’t slipped away and abandoned their deal. Each time she checked though, Lena was there, shrouded in black, with her green eyes staring intently ahead, until she’d lock eyes with Kara, and they’d soften slightly at the corners as she gave her a small smile. Kara watched Alex too, watching as her sister eagerly matched Maggie’s pace, talking in soft voices as they took the lead, but her excitement and flustering was so obvious that Kara felt stupid for not knowing. Her sister’s preoccupation with the small, snarky woman left Kara to fall into conversation with Lena for the most part, and they spent hours talking about magic, as Kara tried to coach Lena through doing small spells that she’d never had the finesse to do, or Kara would babble on about Winn, or her shop, or growing up with the Danvers’. Lena would occasionally make a comment about her own life before, but there were very clear warning signs around sensitive topics that neither of them strayed towards.

 

            This trip seemed more relaxed than their other one too, and the four of them were able to cover the distance quicker than they normally would’ve, with the added help of Alex and Maggie evanescing the, as well as the use of some energy crystals that Alex had brought along. It still took them a few weeks, as they made their way south, and every day they walked so far that their legs were always burning by the time they made camp somewhere. This time it was in a park in a neighbourhood on the outskirts of San Francisco, and they bundled up in their blankets, hidden behind glamours and wards so that no one could see them, eating some food that Lena had lifted from the nearest convenience store, along with the help of Maggie’s deft fingers. Alex looked the other way whenever they needed food, because their money had run out quickly, and they needed to make in to Hawaii _before_ they starved to death. Tonight they had slim jims and powdered donuts, along with cheap coffee that was almost like gravy when they sipped it. It wasn’t a big meal, not by any standards, but it gave them enough energy to sustain them until they could steal something for breakfast. The hardest part was what they could scrounge up on the road, when they were walking across fields, empty except for some cows, which they had to stop Alex from taking down so they could have some beef, or endless trees, already finished flowering until the next spring. They couldn’t even spare the magic to make new plants sprout, so their only hope was to pray that they could gather enough to tide them over until the next town or city that they could steal food from.

 

            For now, though, they were all too tired to worry about tomorrow’s problems, and in the light of a small campfire, Kara quietly murmured her Kryptonian mantra, and Lena joined her, while a few feet away, Alex and Maggie were laughing as they shared a bottle of scotch between themselves. Eventually, Kara cut off, opening one eye as she stared at the two of them, feeling irritated at being disrupted, but feeling it dissipate at the obvious happiness on her sister’s face, despite the circumstances.

 

            Alex caught Kara’s stare and gave her a sheepish look, holding out the bottle of scotch, “sorry. Here, have a drink.”

 

            “No thanks,” Kara said, letting her posture relax as she stretched her legs out before her and leant back on her elbows, stretching her muscles and feeling the ache that was starting to feel all too familiar.

 

            “Lena?” Alex asked, moving the bottle over to her.

 

            She was silent for a few moments, before she took the bottle with a muttered thanks and took a quick sip, coughing and gasping as it burned on the way down. Eyes watering slightly, Lena quickly passed the bottle back, her lips turned down in thinly veiled disgust, and Maggie laughed, blowing yellow smoke rings, before grinning. “What’s the matter, princess. You never had a drink before?”

 

            “No,” Lena said, shrugging slightly, “and don’t call me princess.”

 

            “Why not? Aren’t your family practically royalty in your clan?” Maggie asked, arching an eyebrow as she leant across the fire to take the bottle off her.

 

            Lena cleared her throat slightly, shifting uncomfortably, “no, my mom’s just the coven leader.”

 

            “Yeah, well, I’ve seen the people in your coven, and if they’re anything to go off, your family is practically royalty. Probably even bigger assholes too,” Maggie laughed, tipping her head back as she drank from the bottle.

 

            A surprised laugh fell from Lena’s lips, and Kara smiled slightly at the sound. She’d become fond of Lena over the past six weeks, and she’d even go as far as to say that they were becoming friends. There was a lot they didn’t know about each other, but the longer they spent together, the more comfortable they became, and Kara had come to realize that it wasn’t so much a cold, emotionless front, but an even more surprising one; Lena was shy. She had been short with Kara at the beginning, and aloof, but in the moments where they weren’t too tired to talk, Kara had come to find that the other witch was surprisingly warm when she wanted to be, and witty, and some of her shyness started to slip away. There was a part of her that was still aloof and cold, but Kara assumed that it was the product of years alone in a forest, and a childhood that held more problems than Kara could begin to imagine. There wasn’t a lot of interaction between all of the covens, unless one decided to leave and become a hedge witch for hire, and do their own things, drifting wherever they pleased, whenever they pleased, but still, there were whispers about the inner most secrets of each coven – some truths and some lies – and Kara had heard a lot about the workings of the Thorul coven. It didn’t exactly uplifting, what she’d heard, but Kara didn’t want to pry into Lena’s private life, not knowing what was true and what was false – especially not after Lena’s prickly reply last time. It didn’t stop Maggie though.

 

            “Yeah, well you’ve got that right,” Lena snorted, shaking her head as she watched the light of the fire paint the underside of leathery bat wings orange as Aithusa swooped past, enjoying the selection of bugs in the trees.

 

            “Especially your brother I would assume,” Maggie said, and Kara instantly knew that she’d crossed a line by the way that Lena stiffened beside her. Apparently Maggie didn’t notice though, because Kara had learnt that she wasn’t an asshole, just brazen and snarky, and probably wouldn’t have carried on talking if she’d realized that she’d overstepped. “I mean … how many was it? Ten? Eleven? Makes you wonder what’s going on in the rest of the covens.”

 

            Climbing to her feet, Lena silently stalked off into the trees, leaving Maggie opening and closing her mouth as she watched Lena walk off. With slightly wide brown eyes, Maggie frowned, looking from Kara to Alex, “what’s her problem? I wasn’t saying that she-”

 

            Kara sighed, climbing to her feet, “it’s a sensitive topic. You should’ve just left it alone.”

 

            “I was just trying to be polite,” Maggie bitingly replied.

 

            “Oh yes, bringing up someone’s murderous brother is _so_ polite,” Kara snarkily replied, huffing as she walked off after Lena.

 

            It was dark in the middle of the park, which was surprisingly big, and she could hear the drunken singing of a man, kicking what sounded like an empty can along the path, off to her right, along with the high pitched laughter of a group of teens down near the lake they’d pulled water from to wash their hands and faces with earlier. Lena was nowhere to be found though, and Kara stopped beneath the branches of an oak tree, letting her magic seep out, down into the ground and out into the air, like tentacles feeling around. Her hearing sharpened, and the sounds of the singing and laughing grew louder, along with Maggie’s quieter murmurs that Kara tuned out. And there – there was was Lena’s heartbeat – and Kara’s eyes flew open, the white receding as she looked up, spotting a pale face looming out of the darkness. She bit back a startled shout, her heart hammering in her chest as she stared at Lena, nestled in a fork in the tree, almost like she had been the morning that they’d been attacked in Lena’s forest.

 

            “Hi,” Kara lamely said, clearing her throat slightly as she took a hesitant step towards the trunk, “can I, uh, come up?”

 

            “Sure,” Lena replied in an offhanded way, and Kara quickly crossed over to the trunk, her gloves scrambling at the bark of the tree as she hauled herself up, finding hand and footholds, and clinging on tightly as her boots slipped on patches of moss covering the bark. Eventually she managed to make it all the way to the top, and found herself inches away from Lena, and unable to go anywhere further. She could see the tension in the hunched shoulders and the tightness of Lena’s mouth, but her eyes held all the fear in them, and Kara wanted to reach out and touch her, and tell her that it was okay. What her brother had done didn’t fall onto her shoulders.

 

            Slowly, Lena climbed to her feet, bracing herself against the trunk of the tree as she ducked beneath flimsy branches and picked a sturdy one, climbing along it and sitting down, leaving space beside her for Kara. She faced forwards, looking out at the moonlight reflecting off the surface of the lake, visible from their viewpoint, and her legs gently swung back and forth, and Kara smiled, being reminded of a little child, albeit, a more morose looking one. She shuffled along the branch beside Lena, letting one leg fall either side as she straddled it, staring straight at Lena. Taking a deep breath, Kara exhaled shakily.

 

            “It was my uncle, you know.” Lena turned to look at her, a question in her eyes, and her heavy brows knitting together as she frowned slightly. “He was the one who wanted to get rid of me. See, he didn’t know what I was – only my parents did – and so my mom and dad … they tried to protect me. They started a whole war, against their own family, and … I don’t even know how they died. I mean, I know they _did_ die, and that’s about all I know, but I can’t help but wonder if maybe my dad was killed his brother. Or maybe my mom killed my aunt, because I know that my cousin … he lost his parents that night too. I have no clue what happened, and Krypton’s so secretive that I’ll never know, unless I ask when we get there. I blame myself though. If I wasn’t born like _this_ … well, then they’d all still be alive. I didn’t _do_ anything, but I blame myself.”

 

            Lena was silent for the longest while, listening to the sound of a squirrel scampering around someone in the loftier branches, while two reflective eyes watched them from another tree. It was almost eerie to be in a park at nighttime –more so than camping out in a forest – and the creaking of swings in the park echoed around them as the drunkard moved on. Then she turned to look the complete opposite way to Kara, her gloved hands splayed on the rough bark of the branch, and her voice was almost too quiet to hear of the sighing of the wind as she spoke. “Thirteen. It was thirteen people, and one of them was our dad.”

 

            The air seemed to be forced out of Kara’s lungs, and she couldn’t help but pity Lena as she realized that that was why it was difficult for her. Kara knew that something had happened to make her leave her coven, and the timeline with what she knew about her brother’s actions lined up with Lena running away. It had been the loss of her dad that made her leave, and Kara couldn’t help but feel sad at that. They’d both been put into similar situations, losing family and being forced from their coven, in one way or another, and Kara reached out to lay a gentle hand on Lena’s shoulder. “I get it, I know-“

 

            “You don’t know anything,” Lena sharply replied, shrugging off Kara’s hand. “What do you know? That my brother’s a murderer? That he went rogue and was kicked out, and now he’s out there doing god knows what? That’s only partly true. He _was_ kicked out. I remember that so clearly. He looked so smug, like he was going to get away with it all, and then he was cast out. My mother had no choice but to do it – they would’ve torn her to pieces if she showed even a shred of weakness, even towards her own son. He wasn’t expecting that, not at all, it was supposed to be me. It might’ve been – I don’t know, I didn’t stick around long enough to find out what they were going to do to me.”

 

            She broke off, her breathing slightly uneven, and Kara wanted to comfort her, but was hesitant to touch her again, knowing that Lena would just throw her hand off. Her mouth felt dry though, as Lena spoke, and Kara couldn’t imagine how much it must’ve hurt, or how scared Lena must’ve been, to just run away. Whatever they were going to do, living in a rotting forest, alone and afraid, was preferable to it, and that broke Kara’s heart.

 

            “It was all him though. His plan, his _pushing_. I was sixteen, and my power was growing too quickly for me to learn how to control it. He knew that, and he was jealous and spiteful. He never used to be. Lex used to be nice, and _funny_ , and my mom loved him most of all. She never really cared for me – I wasn’t hers, you know. My dad slept with another witch, but that never mattered, because he showed up four years later with me in hand, showed her the runes down my back, and that was all she cared about. It’s all about power in Thorul. Those who have the most are in charge, and those who don’t are at the bottom, so can you imagine what it was like for my mom to be handed the most powerful bargaining chip in the world? Of course she raised me as her daughter, and she tried to groom and polish me, and train me – it never worked, of course, I was _too_ powerful – and she got harsher and crueler, and I was like a pathetic little pawn. I didn’t have a choice,” Lena sounded bitter as she spoke, and the wood beneath her hands started to bubble slightly, the branch turning from wood into a hard almost stone-like substance as it radiated out from her hands, which were wreathed in shadows that were hard to see in the pitch black.

 

            “I turned out to be a pawn in Lex’s plans too, and he set it up _perfectly_. He always knew how to rile me up – I was never quick to temper, but he knew how to get me to that point – and I hadn’t been able to do any of the spells that I was supposed to be learning, not even a _single_ tiny spark, and my magic was just … overwhelming. It was at a meeting with other coven members – high ranking ones that would’ve been in the way of Lex’s plans – and of _course_ I wasn’t invited to it. I was a kid; I wasn’t in _business_. He told me that my dad was getting rid of me, because I was too powerful, and they didn’t want me there anymore. I didn’t know it, but he’d slipped something into my tea. Whatever it was … I was out of control, and not thinking straight, and more powerful than I should’ve been, which was saying something. He evanesced me right into the middle of that meeting, and I-I … I just … exploded. I brought the whole building down on us – he got out of course – but not before I tore them all apart. You asked what kind of magic we were taught? I was so riled up that I could feel every cell in their bodies, and I _tore them apart._ They call it red mist when that happens. It’s like when a bomb goes off, and there’s just _blood_ , and I turned the whole building to dust and rubble. Except it wasn’t _me._ It was him; my own brother wormed his way into my mind, until I was powerless to stop him, because I didn’t know how. He had control of my body, and he was _good_ at magic, and I was like a puppet, and he moved me around, using _my_ magic to do it. I watched through my own eyes as I tore them apart, and then afterwards, I passed out in the middle of it all – it had drained me so much – and they found me there. It didn’t take them long to realize what had happened. He had plans in his room, to take over the coven after our dad died, and use _me._ Instead he was banished, and I … I ran away. _I_ killed them all. I killed my own dad.”

 

            Kara’s tongue felt thick in her mouth, and she had to lick her lips a few times before she could reply. Lena wouldn’t even look at her, and Kara couldn’t help but feel sad as she looked at the forlorn figure sitting on the branch in front of her. Unsure of what she could say or do to comfort her Kara was silent for a few moments, scrambling for anything to say that would make her feel okay. What could she say? That it wasn’t her fault? Of _course_ it wasn’t her fault, but it had been the product of her own magic, and Kara trying to reassure her wouldn’t work with who Lena was as a person. She didn’t need false comforts or twisted half-truths to help make her feel better, she just needed reassurance that she wasn’t the monster that she so clearly saw herself as. She’d stopped using magic for _eight years_ because of that, and no one could accuse her of being a monster when she has so clearly held that pain inside for so long.

 

            “Those deaths are on him,” Kara quietly murmured, “not you. He- he did _this_ , like you said, you were just a pawn. Just a means to an end, and that end would’ve happened either way. I’m still sorry though.”

 

            Lena snorted, finally turning to look at Kara, her eyes surprisingly free of any tears, holding only anger in their place, and she gave Kara a bitter smile. “What’re you sorry for?”

 

            “That you lost your dad,” Kara hoarsely replied, “that part I _can_ understand. The only difference between us is whose magic was used to carry out the sentence. It doesn’t matter that it wasn’t done with mine, but I still signed their death warrant, just like your brother did for your dad.”

 

            “I wish I’d killed him instead,” Lena softly said, her voice wavering slightly, sounding fragile in the quiet of the night. “If I found him … I’d take _everything_ from him, if I could. I’m not sure I’d have the skill, but I’d have the power to rip him apart as well, just like I did to them.”

 

            Shifting slightly on the branch, Kara reached out for Lena’s hand, and Lena looked down at it as Kara cradled it in her own, “these hands have healed. They’ve saved lives, and kept us safe, and they _healed_ me. Those are the only hands that I know. You don’t have to hold onto this, there are- there’s people that you can go to. They can take the bad memories away for you, and you can just focus on the good things you’ve done with your magic, because your magic _isn’t_ bad, and neither are you. Only what we do with it – with our own minds, not someone else choosing for us – shapes the kind of magic we have.”

 

            Lena laughed quietly, the sound sharp as she gave Kara’s hand a quick squeeze, “I thought about it. There’s a witch I used to know … she had a girlfriend who worked with minds, and I thought about going to her. I didn’t trust her though, and those people … I deserve to live with what I did. It shouldn’t be that _easy_ , that I can just forget about it all. They have people who’ll never forget.”

 

            “Then you’re a lot braver than I am,” Kara softly told her, “because I don’t think I could bear to hold onto seeing that.”

 

            “It’s not the killing that’s the hard part,” Lena flatly replied, her face drawn with pain, “it’s the guilt that comes afterwards.”

 

            Kara sighed, her breath pluming before her in a white cloud, “Lena, you have nothing to be guilty for. Your mind was invaded, and your body taken out of your control, and there was nothing you could do to stop that. It was your magic, yes, but it wasn’t wielded by you han- your _mind.”_

 

            Slowly nodding, Lena tipped her head back, her eyes closed as the moonlight bathed her skin white, and the canopy above them dappled her face with shadows. She seemed more relaxed here, breathing in the smell of the earth and the trees, almost feeling like she was in back in her forest, staring at the stars and listening to the flutter of bat wings flying overhead as Aithusa hunted along with some other ones in the area. It felt like she was home in the only place she’d ever felt like home, even if it was a dilapidated ruin in a forest she’d bled the life out of. Eventually, she started to miss the warmth of the small fire though, and Kara was silently shivering beside her, keeping her company until she felt ready to leave. With a weary sigh, Lena swung her leg over the branch, so that she had a leg dangling over either side, mirroring Kara, and they were both face to face. Giving her a grim smile, Lena nodded, “thank you, Kara.”

 

            Returning the smile with a small one of her own, Kara nodded, “of course, that’s what friends are for.”

 

            Lena’s smile – which was already smile to begin with – wavered, before slowly shrinking, and she gave Kara a hesitant look. “No, Kara, we’re not friends. I don’t think it would be smart to be friends, given the situation.”

 

            “No, I don’t suppose it would be,” Kara said, giving her a lopsided smile as she felt the flicker of hope inside disappear. They’d grown close of the past few weeks, and Kara had few friends as it was, not trusting people enough to let them know who she really was, and she had been harbouring the hope that her and Lena could be friends. They were in the same boat, and it no one else could understand what it felt like to be brimming with power that you couldn’t really control or use, without being scared of getting caught of hurting someone else. A small part of her had thought that they could be friends. Apparently she was wrong though, and Lena did have a valid point; it was dangerous, and Kara knew that they hadn’t seen the last of their trouble. They still had answers to find, and no doubt more trouble accompanied them.

 

            Peering over the edge of the branch, Kara stepped off into midair, and she heard the small gasp from her right, and turned to give Lena a small smile. “Air currents,” she explained, concentrating on keeping herself afloat as she stepped down, almost like there were invisible steps spread out before her. Feet firmly planted in a flowerbed of dead daisies, Kara looked up at Lena, who was still frozen on her branch. “Are you coming?”

 

            “I can’t do that,” Lena quietly called down to her.

 

            Laughing slightly, Kara smiled up at her, “I’ve got you. Step out, if you trust me.”

 

            With a dubious look, that didn’t go unnoticed even in the dark, Lena slowly stepped off the branch, finding herself floating in midair, but feeling like she was standing on a bouncy castle. The air beneath her feet was solid, but she could feel the give, as if she wasn’t standing on concrete, but something jelly-like, that didn’t ease her fear of falling as she looked down at Kara. And then Kara was level with her, trailing around her in lazy circles, her face lit up in the moonlight.

 

            “Pretty cool, huh?” she asked, spreading her arms out as she gave Lena a knowing smile. Kara could still remember the first time she’d managed to do it, and how her stomach had dropped as the ground fell away beneath her feet.

 

            “Can you fly? Some covens practice flying,” Lena breathlessly asked, her arms spread out and her knees slightly bent as if she was trying to keep her balance on a tightrope. Kara bit back a smile; she wouldn’t let Lena fall.

 

            Nodding, she smiled brightly, “yeah! Well, it’s basically the same concept, but takes more concentration and willpower to keep the air currents flowing properly. It was one of the things I was taught as a child, by my coven. I don’t really do it much though, because it’s not really inconspicuous in a city.”

 

            “Right,” Lena said, her eyes wide as she looked around.

 

            Laughing, Kara moved closer, “would you like me to show you? I know we can’t go in planes, but it’s even better than I imagine a plane would be. No big metal contraption or tiny seats to sit in.”

 

            “Right now?” Lena asked, blinking in surprise, before she smiled brightly, “yes, please.”

 

            Hesitating as she reaching out for her, Kara paused, “um, just pull your hood up just in case our faces accidentally touch. Okay, um I’m going to hold you from behind, it’ll feel like you’re properly flying then. Is that okay?” When Lena nodded, pulling up her dark hood, Kara drifted behind her, slowly wrapping her arms around Lena’s chest and waist, holding her tightly. “Don’t move.”

 

            She felt Lena shiver slightly in her arms, and then Kara was pushing them upwards, and the air rushed past them, whipping Kara’s hair around her face as she soared above the treetops with Lena in her arms. They could see the city centre of San Francisco in the distance, the lights dotting the darkness like a reflection of the stars above, and Lena let out a breathless laugh. Gently drifting them around, feeling the air on their faces and the park spread out beneath them, they enjoyed the few moments of peaceful freedom, and then Kara angled towards the faint glow she could see through the trees.  Kara settled back down a few metres away from their camp, her feed softly thudding on the ground, and she held onto Lena for a few moments longer to make sure she had her footing, before unwinding her arms and stepping back. Clearing her throat slightly, Kara gave her a warm smile.

 

            “Thank you,” Lena earnestly told her, “that was ... _exhilarating_ , and just what I needed to take my mind off things.”

 

            “Just ignore Maggie,” Kara told her, “I think she means well but she’s just a bit blunt.”

 

            “Can’t imagine what your sister sees in her,” Lena grunted.

 

            Feeling her cheeks warm slightly, Kara shrugged, “I, uh, I didn’t even know they _knew_ each other, let alone were ... whatever they’re doing. Alex never mentioned her to me.”

 

            “I guess there’s just some things that sisters don’t need to know,” Lena said, her eyes crinkling as she gave Kara a crooked smile, jerking her thumb over her shoulder, “camp is that way. Try not to snap.”

 

            Lena turned around and started rounding the tree, leaving Kara to rush after her, spluttering slightly as she snapped twigs beneath hurried feet. “Snap at what? Lena, you can’t be that vague, it’s not fair!”

 

            Getting no response, Kara huffed as she traipsed along behind Lena, Kal-Ex bumbling along like a large blue bee, faintly humming. Signing, Kara rolled her eyes as she stepped back into the circle of light from the campfire. Alex and Maggie were still sitting where they had been, and as Maggie went to take a drink from the bottle, Kara made it fly towards her, catching it in her hand and holding it out, pressing it into Lena’s chest. Taking the bottle, Lena fluidly sank down to the ground and took a sip.

 

            “So-“ Maggie started, before Kara cut her off.

 

            “How about we drop it?” Kara suggested, raising her eyebrows slightly, and Maggie shrugged, leaning back against Alex’s arm as she stretched her legs out in front of her. Beside her, Lena took another drink, managing to not cough and splutter this time as she smirked around the lip of the bottle, and by the time they went to bed, it was mostly empty, and she was already out cold.

 

            Crawling towards her, Kara plucked the bottle out of Lena’s arms and reached for the blanket she’d been huddled under, pulling it up over her shoulders, making sure she was covered properly. She moved back to her own spot and looked across the fire to see Alex and Maggie staring at her. “What?”

 

            “I’d be careful there,” Maggie said, shaking out her own blanket as she got ready for bed.

 

            “What do you mean?” Kara asked, frowning in confusion. The dying embers of the fire caught Alex’s quick smile as she stacked more wood onto the fire to keep it burning through the night. It was almost a little patronising, as if Kara was a silly child who didn’t understand what she was doing, and Kara scowled as she wrapped herself in her blanket. “Alex, what’s she talking about?”

 

            “Your _heart_ , Danvers,” Maggie laughed, “it might not be a good idea to mix business and feelings.”

 

            Kara clapped a hand over her mouth to muffle a laugh, “feelings? I, wha-, me and _Lena?_ No, no, that’s not- I don’t- we … we’ve known each other less than two months, don’t be ridiculous. We-we’re not even _friends_.”

 

            Maggie quietly snorted, rolling her eyes as she lay down, and Alex gave Kara a soft smile as she settled down near Maggie. “It’s okay to like her. I think she’s nice,” Alex told her, “just don’t get too attached, okay? She’s dangerous.”

 

            “So am _I_ ,” Kara retorted, unsure why she was getting so defensive when she didn’t even have feelings for Lena - not feelings other than friendship, which had already been shot down. If they couldn’t even be friends, there was no chance that they’d be anything more, even if Kara wanted to, which she very much didn’t.

 

            “Goodnight, Kara,” Alex sighed, not wanting to pick a fight over all of the reasons why her sister should keep her distance from the strange girl they were stringing along with them.

 

            Murmuring a reply, Kara snuggled up in her blanket, and her eyes landed on Lena’s face, bathed orange in the firelight, and she couldn’t help but feel sad. Not for herself, but for Lena. She wasn’t dangerous, she was just scared, and it wasn’t fair for any of them to judge her for that.

 

\---

 

            The next morning, they woke to a thin veil of fog blanketing the park, and they were shivering where they sat as they warmed themselves up over the fire, eating donuts left over from the night before. They didn’t linger in the park, and as soon as they were packed, they were off, talking amongst themselves.

 

            “It shouldn’t be much longer,” Alex was saying, “I just want to get a bit more southerly before we find a boat. I think our best bet is Metropolis-“

 

            “No,” Lena sharply replied, and three pairs of eyes darted to her face, taking in the tightness around her mouth, and the stubborn set of her jaw.

 

            Maggie frowned slightly, “what do you mean _no?”_

 

            “I’m not stepping foot inside that city,” Lena said, “it wouldn’t be safe for us anyway. It’s where I’m from.”

 

            “Oh, right, of course,” Alex said, nodding slightly as her teeth worried at her bottom lip. “I mean, we’re in San Francisco, we could just find a sailboat here. It’ll make the boat trip longer though.”

 

            The four of them walked along, heading towards the city, while debating the pros and cons of the different ports along the east coast. They wanted one that would help shave a few days at sea off their trip, and Alex was right, Metropolis was the best option, but with Lena vehemently against it, they ended up deciding on picking up some food for the trip and then going to steal a boat. The stealing was going to be left up to Maggie, who bragged that she was an expert, and it would have to be a sailboat, of course, which limited their options.

 

            Stealing bagfuls of groceries, the four of them wandered down the sidewalk, grumbling about the endless ups of the hills and the sun that was beating down overhead, their backs weighed down by their full bags. The fog had lifted slightly as the morning warmed a little, giving them a slightly hazy view of the bay set of before them, winking blue as the sun sparkles on the surface of it. That was where they were going to go and steal a boat, and Kara had her shoulders set in grim determination as she breathed in the smell of salt, smoke and garbage, walking along beside Lena.

 

            Maggie came to a sudden stop, and Kara pulled up short to stop herself from walking into her. They were outside a thrift store, and Maggie turned towards the door, her hand on the handle when Kara asked what she was doing. “What do you need in there?”

 

            “Clothes,” Maggie replied, giving her a slight smirk, “you don’t look like you’re dressed for Hawaii.”

 

            Letting out a snort of laughter, Alex shook her head, pulling the door open with the quiet tinkle of a bell, waving the three witches in ahead of her. “Alright, find something a little sunnier.”

 

            Kara made for the first rack of clothes and quickly started skimming through the hangers, while Maggie and Alex did the same, pulling off random items that the deemed suitable to help them blend in on the island. A denim jacket and yellow t-shirt were thrown at Kara, and she found a pair on converse and sunglasses to complete the casual ensemble. She’d been allowed to keep her jeans, but everything else was deemed too wintery.

 

            “Here,” Maggie said, and Kara looked up, watching as she unceremoniously dumped a handful of clothes in Lena’s unwilling arms.

 

            “No thank you,” Lena protested, trying to given them back.

 

            Maggie just laughed in her face, “you look like the fucking grim reaper. Take your clothes off and get changed. You can’t go to Hawaii dressed like that.”

 

            Making a small sound of indignation, Lena scowled at her, “well I’m not going in a fucking Hawaiian shirt and sandals. We’re not going to a _luau.”_

 

            “Well you can’t wear that coat!” Maggie argued.

 

            “Why not?” Lena asked, bristling slightly as she blushed at the disdain in Maggie’s voice as she looked at the threadbare coat.

 

            “Because you look evil as shit,” Maggie said, and Kara covered her laugh with a cough, reaching out for a large, faded dark grey denim jacket that might’ve once been black, and she handed it over to Lena.

 

            Scowling, Lena sifted through the bundle of clothes, picking an olive coloured t-shirt. She was also given a large pair of sunglasses that Alex plucked off the rack, and they went into the dressing room in the back to change. Lena still looked as gloomy as ever, but a little more stylish - or at least she wouldn’t stick out like a sore thumb in the sunshine. Not quite as much. Kara had found a pair of black converse for Lena as well, and by the time they were both finished getting changed, it was like they were on opposite sides of the mood scale. Kara’s bright colours, big smile and golden hair made her look like she belonged in the sunshine, but Lena was already dreading the heat, and was about to become very grouchy about being cooped up in a small boat for a few weeks.

 

            Alex and Maggie declined the offer of getting changed, even though Kara would’ve said that Alex stood out more than anyone, still dressed in her Battle Mage robes and wielding a staff. They all could’ve glamoured themselves instead of changing, if they weren’t worried about conserving energy, but the heat would’ve been too much to handle under heavy coats, but still, Alex had to do something about her robes.

 

            They were bickering as they walked down the sidewalk, with Alex exasperatedly explaining that she didn’t need to change her clothes. She was very adamant about it, and Kara huffed as she followed along, wishing that her sister wasn’t so stubborn sometimes. If a Battle Mage showed up in Krypton, they would definitely be noticed the second they stepped foot inside the coven headquarters. Clearly Alex wasn’t worried about it though, so Kara caved in, trusting that her sister was doing everything she could to keep her safe. It didn’t do much to ease Kara’s concerns though, and she was wary about the flimsy boat they would have to sail to Hawaii. The last time she’d made that trip, she’d been thirteen and half out of her mind with grief, but she still remembered how cold it was with the salty spray as wave after wave hammered the boat, with her cousin wrestling with tiller to keep them on course. It hadn’t been fun. Her stomach was twisting at the thought of it, and Kara grimaced, which didn’t go unnoticed by Alex, who reached out to give her sister’s shoulder a squeeze.

 

            “Hey, it’ll all be fine,” she said, giving Kara an earnest smile, even though her brown eyes were full of worry.

 

            Nodding, Kara bit back a comment about the uneasy feeling she had, and the obvious tension in the other three witches’ postures. It looked liked she wasn’t the only one with reservations about the trip, which admittedly, was very dangerous and rarely taken. Krypton’s headquarters was a mostly isolated place, and the only interaction they had with other covens came from their own coven members running away and joining another, or vice versa. They were wary of outsiders, especially of those from Daxam, and Kara knew all too well why they didn’t get along, even though she had more of a reason that the rest of her old coven. She just hoped that she’d manage to get them all in safely, and that she wouldn’t be recognized straight away, because no doubt there would be an uproar if people found out she was back. People had died because of who and what she was, and she’d been whisked away, never heard from since, and she didn’t know what was waiting for her when she got back. All she knew was that it hadn’t been a bad enough war amongst the different factions of the coven to warrant the extinction of the whole coven – which had happened with other covens before – but she couldn’t help but wonder which faction had won, because no doubt there had been a lot of deaths. Despite her words with Lena last night, Kara couldn’t help but feel like it _was_ her fault, and she felt her guilt and discomfort grow with each step.

 

            It took them over an hour to finally reach the docks, which smelt of salt and damp as they walked along rotting piers, taking in the boats tied up and bobbing in the gentle ebbing and flowing of the ocean. It was a surprisingly sunny day, which was the result of their slow southwards trip towards the warmer part of the country, and Lena already looked uncomfortable, a black baseball cap she’d plucked on her way out of the thrift store pulled down low over her face. She was going to be a sight to see when they got to Hawaii. There was that same gut-wrenching discomfort as Kara thought about Hawaii, and she grimaced as she walked ahead of the three witches, pointing out different boats that they could potentially steal. They needed a yacht, with proper sails and no motor, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to get it there. They’d specifically gone to the area where the rich people apparently kept their boats, but most of them _did_ have motors, and no sails. They stopped at the first one they found that met their needs. It was small and white, bobbing on the water, while its rolled up sails made it look bare and useless.

 

            “This one then?” Kara asked, looking at the three other witches for their approval. Maggie had jumped onto the deck to make sure that it had a wheel and a rudder, and was nodding as she jumped back onto the docks, landing lithely with a muted thud.

 

            “Kara, why don’t you go and stow yours and Lena’s bags in the cabin and get working on the sails. I’m going to reinforce the hull, and the girls can work on the ropes,” Alex said, giving her sister a smile. Kara nodded, smiling brightly, and Alex pulled her into a quick hug, ruffling her blonde hair as she laughed, before giving her a gentle push towards the boat, with Lena’s relinquished bags in hand.

 

            The three witches waited until she was on board, working on the lock of the cabin, before they turned to each other, and Lena swallowed the lump in her throat. “You feel it too?”

 

            Alex and Maggie both nodded, their eyes darting around as they looked for trouble, and Alex took Lena by the arm, “I don’t know is she’s noticed or not – she gets a bit uneasy about being on the water – but she won’t leave if we tell her.”

 

            Nodding, Lena’s eyes darted towards the boat, and Kara was nowhere to be seen, but they could hear her walking around inside the small cabin, before her blonde head emerged a moment later, the sunlight turning her hair golden as she walked towards one of the masts. “What do I do?”

 

            “Can you sail?” Maggie asked, her brown eyes intense as she fixed Lena with her hard stare. Shaking her head, Lena suddenly felt scared. This whole plan, which she hadn’t wanted to agree to, had hinged on someone being able to sail them to Hawaii, namely, Alex or Maggie, and Lena had never been on a boat in her life, and apparently Kara was going to be next to useless, especially when Lena turned to look at her again, watching her trying to figure out how to get the sail to unfurl. “Right, you’ll want to head south-easterly. Use the compass on Kara’s hand if you get lost, otherwise just watch the sun. Keep air in your sails or you’ll drift, and try and stay out of the sun as much as possible – not that I’ll need to tell you that – just in case you get heatstroke from it being too sunny and hot. We’ll try and keep them off you tail, and we’ll wait for you here.”

 

            “There’s not a good chance that we’ll be able to make it to Hawaii and find you again, so we’ll wait here every day at twelve, for an hour. If you don’t show up in five weeks, we’ll assume you’ve been taken prisoner or something else has happened, and we’ll come for you then,” Alex quickly told her, leading Lena towards the boat with a hard grip on her arm, just as Lena’s eyes turned black. With a small gasp, Lena blinked away the vision, her face bone white and her eyes scared, and Alex gave her a small shake, “what did you see?”

 

            “Five minutes,” Lena hoarsely replied, “they’ll be here in five. Nine of them. Stay away from the docks – they want to hedge us – you - in against the water.” Her eyes went black again, and Lena squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head slightly. “Go, now. Get away from here, I’ll keep her safe.”

 

            Alex nodded, gripping Lena by both shoulders and giving her a stern look, and there was a large amount of fear and even a little bit of warm concern for her in the brown eyes, which surprised Lena. She’d come to know Alex as a fearless fighter, and of course she was scared for her sister, but she was also scared for Lena. “Keep her safe, please. Both of you stay safe.”

 

            “I’ll try my hardest,” Lena promised, and she meant it too as a feeling of guilt welled up inside her. Kara wouldn’t die – she wouldn’t let that happen. There would be another way to get through this all without Kara dying.

 

            Turning to give Maggie a curt nod in thanks, she got one in return, and she saw the concern on the Bounty Hunter’s face too, which was somehow even worse than seeing it on Alex’s. “Go,” Maggie told her, “we’ll cast you off. How strong are you?”

 

            Lena was climbing onto the deck of the boat, frowning as the sky grew darker as clouds started to form across the stretch of blue sky, quickly darkening from puffy white wisps into thicker grey clouds that spoke of rain and storms. The boat was bobbing up and down, and Lena crouched on the deck as she got her balance, staring down at Maggie. “How strong do I have to be?”

 

            “Kara, she, uh,” Alex quickly said, licking her lips as a guilty look crossed her face, “she won’t give in without a fight.”

 

            “What, you want me to _knock her out?”_ Lena haltingly laughed.

 

            “Just don’t let her get off the boat,” Alex told her, “do whatever you have to. We’ll be fine here, but she’ll be worried. They’re not after us – they’re after _you.”_

 

            Lena nodded, climbing to her feet and turning to look at the oblivious blonde, whose only uneasiness seemed to be from the rocking deck beneath her feet as she struggled with the sail. Turning back to the other two witches, Lena nodded again, “whatever I have to. Thank you, both of you.”

 

            That was as much of a goodbye as they had, because they didn’t know each other very well, and while they didn’t want each other to get hurt, it wasn’t meaningful or sad. It was just a goodbye, with the uncertainty of whether they would see each other again. Turning around Lena walked over to Kara and gave her a small smile, “hey, let me get that. Can you go and check in the cabin and see if there’s a knife, Maggie wants it to cut the ropes.”

 

            “Wha- Maggie has at _least_ ten strapped to her, and can’t she just undo the ropes like a normal person? We’ll need them again when we dock,” Kara sighed, “let me go and talk to-“

 

            “No,” Lena said, holding out a hand to bar her path, “god it wasn’t a knife, it was, uh, fuck, I can’t remember now.” Lena gave her an exasperated look, grimacing as she clicked her fingers like she was trying to remember something, “well shit, I’m terrible with sailing terms. What do you know about boats? Not to unfurl a sail, that’s for sure, but maybe you’ll know what she’s talking about. I don’t want to ask her again, because you know what she’s like; I don’t think she likes me to begin with.”

 

            Babbling as much nonsense as she could - taking a leaf from Kara’s book – Lena stalled her for long enough that the ropes had been undone, and they coiled themselves neatly on the boat, with the guidance of Alex and Maggie’s deft magic. Resting a hand against Kara’s lower back, Lena led her towards the cabin, keeping up her stream of rubbish as she tried to get Kara into the cabin before she noticed that they were already rocking a little bit more, free from their mooring. “Just have a look with me and then we’ll sort out the sail,” Lena told her, her mouth feeling dry as she took in the willing look on Kara’s face. She was too kind.

 

            The second that Kara stepped into the cabin, the door slammed shut behind her, and she turned around, frowning as she stared at Lena’s pale face through the round window, her face apologetic which led Kara to believe that she’d been purposely locked inside. Reaching out for the door handle, Kara tried turning it, but found it locked, and she rattled the handle as she tried to yank the door open. “Lena? What the fuck are you doing?” Kara asked, feeling confused as she struggled to get out.

 

            Lena had moved away from the door, and over to the side of the boat, and Kara rushed over to one of the narrow windows, pushing it open to a splatter of raindrops as the sudden clouds let loose a downpour. She heard a whooshing sound and the boat lurched, and she realized that the sail had been undone – not by her or Lena, which left Alex or Maggie, who still weren’t onboard. “Go! Go now,” Lena was shouting, and Kara felt panicked as she banged against the window.

 

            “What’re you doing?!” she exclaimed, and Lena turned to look at her, her face crumpling in pain as she winced slightly. The rain was dotting the deck with dark circles, and it was only getting heavier, while the wind grew stronger, catching in their sail and pushing them away from the dock. As they moved away, Kara saw that it was _Alex_ who was bringing about the wind, and Kara let out a loud shout, which was whipped away the second it left her mouth. Running over to the cabin door, Kara kicked it, but it didn’t even shudder, and she pounded her fist on it, before remembering that she was a witch. Taking a step back, she took a deep breath, holding out a hand, and blasted the door handle off, and the harsh wind outside blew the door straight into the cabin, bouncing off the wall as it slammed into it. Rain speckled Kara’s shoes as she stepped out onto the deck, slipping slightly on the slick surface as she tried running towards the quickly receding dock, where her sister and Maggie were already running away from.

 

            A moment later, she saw why. A red plume of smoke oozed along the planks of the jetty, chasing after the two witches, and Kara knew that colour, she knew it was Mon-El. With a startling surprise, she realized that Alex and Maggie were trying to save them. They were sending her and Lena off so that they could get the answers they needed, and were going to stop the Daxamite Hunters from capturing them. With horror, Kara watched as Alex clapped her hands together, the resounding sound of thunder booming and shaking the whole sky overhead, which was rapidly turning black, and a lightning bolt shot down from the sky, charring the jetty, which smoked slightly. Slipping and sliding, Kara’s shoes squeaked on the deck as she raced towards the rear of the boat, shucking off her wet denim jacket as she prepared herself to dive into the murky, choppy water. But then she was tackled out of the blue, and Lena was sitting on top of her, pinning her to the deck while she struggled.

 

            “Let go!” Kara shouted at her, squeezing her eyes shut as rain hit her face, and she thrashed around, bucking as she tried to get Lena off her, “let go! That’s my sister, you asshole! _Get_ _off me!”_

            “Kara! Kara, _listen_ to me” Lena frantically told her sitting on her stomach and pinning her wrists down against the deck. Lena’s damp hair fell down, tickling Kara’s cheek, and her head blocked out the rain, which meant that Kara was able to open her eyes, finding herself staring straight up into Lena’s worried green eyes. “They don’t _want_ her, they want _us._ If we go, they’ll come after us. That’s the only way we can help them right now, okay?”

 

            Choking on a sob, Kara squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head as she feebly wriggled underneath Lena’s weight, “no, she’s my sister. I have to help her.”

 

            A wet glove cupped her cheek, and she opened her eyes at the feeling of Lena’s warm breath on her cheek, “I know, and I’m sorry, but I can’t let you. She told me not to – whatever it takes.”

 

 _“Whatever it takes?”_ Kara snapped, “so you tried to lock me _away?”_

            “Yes,” Lena simply replied, no regret in her tone, even if her eyes betrayed the guilt she felt inside.

 

            And then Kara was wriggling again, and Lena’s small size was a disadvantage to her as Kara braced her feet on the deck, her shoes squeaking and sliding as she pushed upwards, using the momentum to make Lena tip forward, having to let go of Kara to catch herself before she hit the deck face first. Swearing under her breath, Lena pushed herself onto her knees as Kara climbed to her feet, and she scrabbled forward, latching onto Kara’s leg, bringing her crashing down to the floor again. Neither of them wanted to hurt each other, but they were both too stubborn to give up without a fight, and Kara’s eyes were wild with anger and irritation as she climbed to her feet, her hands buzzing with pure white energy as her wet hair straggled around her face, and her yellow shirt clung to her chest. Lena wearily climbed to her feet, already tired of this fighting before it had even properly begun, and her magic was in stark contrast to Kara’s, crackling pitch black sparks as she stubbornly jutted her chin forward.

 

            “Are you ready to do whatever it takes?” Kara asked, tilting her head to the side as she looked at Lena’s defiant posture.

 

            Nodding, Lena abruptly turned around, facing back to shore, and lashed out with all of her magic, a shout falling from her lips as she pushed against the water and wind before Kara could even register what she was doing. Like a cork from a bottle, they shot forward, skimming over the waves and quickly leaving the shore behind them. Now there was nothing to fight about – they were too far gone to be of any help now, and even the rain was only starting to gently plink against the puddles on the deck as the clouds grew lighter, and glimpses of blue peered out from behind them occasionally. She’d spent all her energy pushing them miles out to sea, and as Kara grabbed her by the collars of her coat, her face crumpling with betrayal, Lena sagged in her arms, her wobbly knees going out from under her, and she could only manage to gasp two soft words before she fell into unconsciousness.

 

            “I’m sorry.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bit of a break for them lmao

            Kara looked up at the figure emerging from the cabin, her heart leaping at the sight of a confused looking Lena, wincing at the bright sunlight as she stepped outside. She blinked a few times, before her eyes landed on Kara, who was at the wheel, steering the sailboat in an easterly direction. The sky was endlessly blue, the waves a little big as the end of summer gave way to autumn, but the boat cut through them easily, spraying the deck with saltwater, and the sun was glaringly hot as it beat down on them, the cabin the only place free from it. Lena didn’t seem too happy about the warmth of the day as she hesitated, just for a second, before she slowly walked over to Kara, a wary and slightly sheepish look on her face.

 

            “You need to head more southerly,” Lena quietly said, and Kara stiffly nodded, glancing down at the compass on the back of her hand as she adjusted their course accordingly. One thing she’d realized was that she didn’t need her gloves anymore – not until they were back on the mainland – because no one could appear on the deck of their boat, miles away from shore. Her knuckles were white as she tightly gripped the wheel, and she clenched her teeth, still simmering with anger.

 

            A part of Kara had been tempted to turn them around when Lena passed out – now no one could stop her – but she knew that Lena was right. They weren’t after Alex, and the only thing Kara could do now was leave and hope the Daxamite Hunters followed after them, so she’d kept going. Still, she was angry at Lena for not letting her go to her sister, and angry that she’d blown out her powers so quickly, which meant that Kara had to manage the boat by herself, with no idea how to sail, and the flashes of memories from when she’d fled Krypton coming back to her. She felt sick and panicked, but she’d swallowed the feelings and just carried Lena into the cabin, setting her down on the bottom bunk of the beds built into the cupboards lining one wall. Draping a blanket over her, Kara had left her to recover, sailing through the night and into the next day, which had left her feeling drained and her eyes itching with the urge to close.

 

            “Look, Kara, I won’t apologise again. I said I’m sorry, and I am, but I did what I had to do,” Lena said, even though she looked guilty as she stood in front of her, toying with the cuff of her jacket while the wind ruffled her hair.

 

            “You went behind my _back_ ,’ Kara snapped, “you could’ve just told me.”

 

            Lena let out an incredulous laugh, glancing up to look at her with raised eyebrows, “and you would’ve said no! Your _sister_ told me not to tell you, so this isn’t all on me. We were trying to protect you. Protect both of us.”

 

            Scowling, Kara let go of the wheel and bumped into Lena as she brushed past her, “I don’t _need_ your protection. I can protect myself. I’m going to bed; some of us didn’t have the liberty of a nice day unconscious.”

 

            She didn’t wait for Lena to reply, she just stormed off towards the cabin, feeling hurt at the fact that no one had trusted her with the knowledge that the Daxamite’s were coming. Lena had seen it – that much was obvious – and the three of them had been plotting behind Kara’s back to help get her away, as if _she_ was the one who needed protecting. If anyone, it was Lena, who couldn’t control her magic, or let it control her and run wild, but Kara supposed that Alex knew Lena’s self-preservation would kick in and she’d get her sister out of there for her. Either way, Kara was bitter than she wouldn’t know what had happened to her sister – not unless she had the chance to find a scrying dish. The thought spending at least two weeks, possible over a month, not knowing if her sister was safe left Kara feeling jittery and sick. This was Alex she was talking about though, and her sister always managed to get herself out of all the sticky situations she’d ended up in, and she had Maggie with her too. _She’ll be fine_. Kara kept telling herself that as she uselessly tried to shut the broken door, before giving up and kicking her shoes off. Her jeans were crusted with salt, and her skin felt grimy with it too from the salty spray of the sea, and she didn’t even want to know what her hair looked like after the rain last night. Running a hand through the tangled mess, Kara pulled her jeans off and tossed them aside, before climbing up to the top bunk, which she assumed was hers, now that Lena had slept on the bottom, and fell asleep on top of the blankets.

 

\---

 

            It was dark when she woke up, her muscles aching and joints sore, and she half fell and half climbed down off the bed, landing on the floor with a quiet thud. Rubbing her tired eyes, she summoned a witchlight and tossed it up to hover in midair, letting it illuminate the tiny cabin. First things first, she needed a shower. Her skin felt hot and raw, and she craved the cool caress of the water. There was a small bathroom on the boat, with the tiniest shower stall she had ever seen, but it was a relief to strip off her dirty clothes and stand under the stream of water, which only had one setting – cold. She could’ve heated it with her magic if she’d wanted to, but once she’d stopped shivering, it actually felt nice. The filtration system hadn’t quite managed to get all of the salt out of the water, but it was clean and refreshing, and Kara quickly scrubbed herself clean with some of the soap that had been left behind by the previous occupant of the boat.

 

            Afterwards, Kara had dried herself with her magic, looking down at her red arms, and feeling the tightness of her face that let her know that she had a killer sunburn. Looking in the small mirror above the little sink, she sighed, her eyelids fluttering closed for a moment, before she opened them again to assess the damage. Her hair was a damp, tangled mess, her skin was already peeling on her nose, and her eyes were extremely blue against the redness of her skin. Shaking out her clothes, and cleaning them with her magic as much as possible, Kara angrily dressed, wincing at the feeling of her clothes chafing against her skin. Summoning a little bit of magic – as much as she dared to waste – Kara began moving her hands all over herself, taking away the sting of the sunburn, and making herself look a little bit less like a lobster. Her hair was a lost cause, but at least she wouldn’t completely look like a scarecrow when she went back outside, and Kara would be lying if she said that part of the reason why she cared so much was because Lena was out there. The other woman never seemed to look ruffled by the dishevelment – in fact, the wild hair and ragged clothes even _suited_ her – and Kara didn’t want to go out there having Lena judge her while she looked radiant in the moonlight.

 

            Kara warily stepped out of the cabin, her eyes immediately turning upwards to look at the endless stretch of inky blackness, with the heavens spread out above them, with the stars on full display. She’d rarely seen such a sight, and it was breathtaking, with nothing but the winking of a plane passing overhead to disrupt the blanket of still darkness. The moon was bright, and it shone down on them, painting everything shades of grey, and Kara walked across the deck, the only sound the creaking of the mast and the rolling waves. Lena was standing at the wheel, one hand gently steering, while the other was raised as she crooned to an unhappy bat, who had no trees to hang from, or bugs to go hunting for. She looked up at the approaching sound of bare feet on the deck, and gave Kara a wary look, unsure what the mood was. All Kara was thinking about was that she’d been right – Lena _was_ radiant in the moonlight, as it danced over her pale face, leaching all of the colour out of her.

 

            “You should take a break,” Kara hoarsely replied, clearing her dry throat, realizing that she hadn’t had anything to drink in a while, and should probably take care of that first. She couldn’t be bothered though, and she quickly sank down onto the deck, leaning against the pole holding the wheel up, and flicked at it with her magic, letting herself steer from her comfortable cross-legged position.

 

            Lena quietly slipped away, disappearing back into the dark cabin, and Kara could hear her banging around in there, returning a few minutes later with her arms full of stuff. Aithusa was gone from her sleeve, finding a perch in the dark corned of the cabin, and Lena carefully picked her way across the rocking deck, stopping in front of Kara and sitting down. She handed Kara a bottle of water, instinctively drawing back when Kara’s bare fingers brushed the gloves, and Kara let out a quiet laugh. “What?” Lena asked, tilting her head to the side as she handed over a chipped plate with a sandwich in the middle, tossing a packet of salt and vinegar chips into Kara’s lap and handing her an apple as well. They both needed their energy, and Kara felt hollow inside, her stomach rumbling at the unexpected sight of welcome food. Lena had a sandwich for herself too, and she frowned slightly as she picked up one half.

 

            “You don’t need those,” Kara murmured, gesturing to the gloves. Lena gave her a puzzled look, and Kara laughed, leaning forward to rest a hand on Lena’s cool cheek, feeling it warm slightly beneath her touch. Lena was still beneath her touch, and Kara knew it was because she still wasn’t used to casual touches after such a long time alone, and a small part of her couldn’t help but wonder if anyone had touched her so tenderly even _before_ that. Smiling slightly at the white glow of the runes on the back of her hand, Kara met Lena’s green eyes, knowing her back was lit up as well beneath the shirt. “No one can reach us here. We’re all alone.”

 

            Sagging slightly with relief at the fact that no matter what happened now, they were safe, sailing along on the rolling seas for the next couple of weeks. They didn’t have to worry about anyone catching up to them, and they didn’t have to worry about making sure they always had gloves on, or coats even, just in case their arms brushed against each others. They could just be normal for a little while, enjoying the stars, the sky and the endless blue before them, now painted a shiny black in the darkness of the late hour. Slowly pulling off one glove, and then the other, Lena reached up and plucked Kara’s hand off her cheek, her eyes filled with curiosity at the feeling of the soft touch, as opposed to the stiff feeling of leather that they’d become accustomed to. With a small smile, Lena picked up her sandwich with her bare hands, taking a bite as she stared out at the darkness.

 

            “I’ve never been on a boat before,” Lena murmured after she swallowed, and Kara lowered the bottle of water she’d been sipping on from her mouth, listening with interest. Turning to meet Kara’s eyes, Lena shrugged slightly, “I think I could learn to like it if I could be this alone all the time.”

 

            “The nothingness doesn’t scare you?” Kara asked, thinking about the fact that there was no land in sight – not even a tiny island – and how much that unnerved her. If something happened to them out here, they were alone, with nowhere to hide and nowhere to run to.

 

            Lena let out a quick laugh, “I’m not scared of anything. I miss the forest though; it’s suffocating to some people, but I know that I can hide. There’s nothing out here, which is also a form of hiding, I guess. No one around to find me.”

 

            Nodding slowly, Kara grimly smiled, “well, you’ll be free to go back into hiding once this is all over.”

 

            Snorting with laughter, Lena half-rolled her eyes, “sure, Kara. They’ll leave me alone once I find and take what they want from me.”

 

            _“We. Us,”_ Kara said, smiling at her, “you’re not doing it alone.”

 

            Something flickered behind Lena’s eyes, and she gave Kara a bright smile, picking up her sandwich again, “yeah, you’re right.”

 

            Whatever else was bothering her, she didn’t say, and Kara slowly opened her packet of chips as she watched Lena, waiting for her to say something. She didn’t want to push her, knowing that she wouldn’t get anywhere, but if there was something bothering her, Kara wanted to try and help. “Are you okay? You seem … troubled.”

 

            Gesturing around vaguely, Lena gave her a wry smile, “oh, you know, just everything. Things could’ve gone a lot differently, but instead, we’re stuck on a boat.”

 

            “What could’ve gone differently?” Kara aside, picking up half of her sandwich and taking a quick bite, chewing as she watched Lena, waiting for an answer. With a shrug, Lena ducked her head, her shoulders hunched as if she was trying to curl in on herself and turn invisible. It was a defensive habit, Kara realized, when she didn’t want anyone to take any notice of her, but she was sitting right in front of Kara, and she wasn’t going anywhere.

 

            With a sigh, Lena stared down at her left hand, watching black sparks dance across her fingertips, and she shrugged again. “I don’t know, I just- what if I’d been taught how to control my powers? What if I had stayed with the woman who gave birth to me? Maybe I wouldn’t have had to run away from home. I wouldn’t have- well, a lot of things might never have happened.”

 

            “I think that too sometimes,” Kara murmured, “I think about what if I’d stayed with my coven. If no one had ever found out. My parents – my family – would be alive, and I wouldn’t have a sister, and I wouldn’t have had to go to a normal school. God, I _hated_ that. World history and home economics, as if I was ever going to need them.”

 

            “It must’ve been nice,” Lena wistfully replied, “a normal school. A normal life. I’ve thought a lot about the way covens work, and it just doesn’t make sense to me. They tried to teach me _their_ magic, and I couldn’t help but think I was the problem, but now … I’m not so sure. Maybe it just wasn’t the type of magic I was good at. There’s _so_ many kinds, and they only tried teaching me the ones that we’re known for in Thorul. Of course, they taught me small ones too, but I couldn’t get a hold on those either – too much raw power for fine parlour tricks, the tutors used to tell my mom. I guess it’s the same with Krypton, teaching flying and fire magic, keeping their secrets to themselves.”

 

            “I suppose living with a hedge witch gave me an advantage,” Kara said, “I guess I got to learn from whichever magical people I came across. I think about that too, like they teach us what the coven’s known for, and then it’s up to us to teach ourselves if we want to learn anything else. If my parents knew I owned – _used_ to own - an apothecary, working with plants and potions instead of, I don’t know … joining the Military Guild like my aunt, they’d probably die on the spot. They’d think it was embarrassing.”

 

            Scoffing, Lena shook her head, “there’s more to magic than fighting with it. I used to dream about learning all different kinds, before I stopped practicing. I’d envision this great big tower, with a massive library, and witches and wizards would come and teach magic. Like a school of some kind. Then there’d be no hoarded information, or secrets, no specialties.”

 

            “Like Hogwarts,” Kara laughed, her eyes crinkling at the corners at the confused look on Lena’s face, “come on, you never read Harry Potter? He’s a wizard.”

 

            “I’ve never heard of him. Is he still alive?” Lena asked.

 

            Choking on the mouthful of food, Kara covered her mouth with her hand, her shoulders shaking with silent laughter as she tried to swallow. Coughing and taking a sip of her water, Kara shook her head, “he’s not _real_ , he’s a book character. You’ve never _heard_ of Harry Potter? I mean, I can understand not reading it, but not hearing of it at least?”

 

            Blushing slightly, Lena curled up into a ball, her arms wrapping around her knees and her chin resting on top as she pouted, “my mother didn’t really let me do things that weren’t related to magic or useful in some way. Reading fictional books about wizards wasn’t practical.”

 

            “God, your mom sounds like a bit of a bitch,” Kara said, giving Lena a pitying look.

 

            Rolling her eyes, Lena smiled slightly, “you have _no_ idea. She was a total nightmare, and I can’t imagine that she’s changed much since I’ve left. Probably even worse, now that she’s a widow with no kids. I’m not even sure if she knows I’m alive, to be honest – not that she would even care either way. Not about me at any rate, but my magic on the other hand …”

 

            “If you could’ve been born a normal witch, would’ve you?” Kara asked, tilting her head to the side.

 

            “Oh yeah,” Lena laughed, “if I could give up my powers right now, I would do it in a heartbeat. It’s nothing but a curse. The only people who want power like this are power hungry monsters who want to use it to further their motives. Nothing good has ever come of it.”

 

            “I wouldn’t say that,” Kara said, smiling slightly, “I met you in that forest because of it. I like to think that was a good thing; I haven’t felt quite so alone since we met.”

 

            Lena blinked in surprise, a conflicted look running across her face as she stared at Kara with hesitation on her face. “I’ve never felt lonely before.”

 

            “No?” Kara asked, her eyebrows rising slightly.

 

            “You have to have someone to miss to feel like you’re alone,” Lena said, “and I don’t have anyone to miss either – not even my dad.”

 

            “I don’t know if that makes you lucky or sad,” Kara murmured, dusting the crumbs off her fingers as she finished her sandwich and crumpled the empty chip packet up. Picking up her apple, she shifted so that she was laying on her back, staring up at the stars, and she let out a weary sigh, rolling the fruit between her hands. Lena was silently sitting beside her, and Kara let her head loll to one side staring up at her. Hearing the gentle, shuddering sound of Lena exhaling, Kara slowly reached out, her hand fumbling for Lena’s, which was still wrapped around her legs, holding herself tightly, and she trailed her fingers across her knuckles, smiling when Lena looked down at her. “Hey, we’ll be okay.”

 

            Uncurling from her ball, Lena gave her a tight smile, reaching for their empty plates and climbing to her feet, “sure, Kara.”

 

            Frowning slightly, Kara pushed herself upright, staring at Lena in confusion. “What’s wrong? What did you _see?”_

 

            “I haven’t seen anything,” Lena smiled slightly, and there was an honesty behind her words that made Kara trust her, even though there was undeniably something bothering her. Whatever it was, she didn’t want to tell Kara though. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Kara nodded, slowly easing herself back down onto the cool wooden deck beneath her, staring up at the stars while she let the boat lull her into a meditative state with the gentle rocking motion.

 

            She was aware of Lena going into the cabin, and returning a few minutes later, carrying two mugs filled with bitter coffee, and Kara murmured her thanks, sitting up and leaning against the wheel, while Lena sat down beside her. They clutched the mugs in their bare hands, letting the warmth seep into their hands, while their shoulders brushed, occasionally making them lean too much into each other with the rocking of the boat as it skimmed over the waves. It would’ve been easy for one of them to move slightly, so that they stopped bumping into each other, but neither of them wanted to relinquish the feeling of warmth along one side of their body. And for the first time, Lena understood what Kara meant about not feeling quite so alone; she just hadn’t known she’d ever felt lonely before. She’d never had Kara to miss. Despite everything, Kara had been kind to her, and patient as she tried to teach her control, and comfort her, and Lena hated to admit it, but they _were_ becoming friends. It hurt to think that though, and Lena swallowed her bitterness along with the coffee, trying not to think about how much it was going to hurt when she lost Kara. Beside her, Kara was thinking that it was going to be a long two weeks on the tiny boat, but with Lena pressed up against her, she couldn’t even bring herself to dread it.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cas don't interact

            They sailed for two weeks, using their magic to keep the wind in their sails and gently skim over the waves, the sky an eggshell blue with no clouds in sight, and it was almost relaxing. Kara spent everyday stretched out on the deck, basking in the sunlight as it tanned her skin and turned her hair blonder, while Lena sat bundled up in the dark cabin, sulking in the heat when she had to come outside and take her shift at the wheel. It wasn’t too bad though, with the briny smell of the sea and the cool breeze caressing their skin. They could almost believe that they weren’t being hunted. _Almost_. There was still an urgency to their constant turns sailing the boat, but they avoided talking about the Daxamites.

 

            It wasn’t all bad though, and they both fell into the easy comfort of each other’s presence, awkwardly dancing around each other with their quick touches, which became a little more confident when they were sure that no one was going to appear on the deck of the yacht and attack them. Still, Kara could see the look of surprise on Lena’s face whenever they casually touched, unused to the feeling of bare skin touching skin, just like she had been when Kara had first touched her with the gloves on. They ate together beneath the scorching sun, or the endless black night, watching the moon wane and searching for shooting stars, quietly telling each other stories or sharing knowledge about the magic they knew. They even saw humpback whales one day, and Kara eagerly leant over the side, laughing freely as they surfaced, spouting jets of water that turned into rainbows as the sunlight hit it at the right angle, while Lena watched with wonder and wariness as the yacht rocked a little too much for her liking. Slowly but surely they made their way towards Hawaii.

 

            On the dawn of the fourteenth day, the hazy outlines of bumps on the horizon came into view, barely a ripple on the flatness in the distance, and Kara let out an excited shout, abandoning the wheel as she ducked beneath a sail and clung to the rope at the prow of the yacht, staring out at the sky, painted orange as the rays of the rising sun set the sky on fire, turning the wispy clouds a gentle pink and chasing away the darkness.

 

            “What is it?” Lena grumbled as she rounded the cabin, making her way across the deck as it lurched beneath her feet. Two weeks at sea had given her sea legs, and she confidently strode over to Kara, narrowing her eyes as she looked out at the horizon.

 

            “Islands,” Kara excitedly told her, smiling as the wind ruffled her hair, blowing it around her face, “we’re almost there.”

 

            A small crease formed between Lena’s eyebrows as she stared straight ahead, her dark hair whipping around her as she leant on the railing. Her green eyes were serious and her lips pursed in a slight pout as she replied, “great, now we can find out if someone’s going to try and kill us again.”

 

            Grimacing, Kara sighed, folding her arms as she leant down on the railing beside Lena, their elbows knocking as Kara gave her a nudge and a lopsided smile, her kind eyes creasing at the corners. “Hey, I told you, no one’s dying on this trip.”

 

            “That’s easier said than done,” Lena muttered, a guarded look in her eyes.

 

            Kara had come to learn that cryptic comments and wary looks weren’t uncommon for Lena, and she wondered if her scepticism came from the fact that she’d lost so much before. Not just her father, but everything else too. Kara didn’t know how to make her believe that everything would be fine; they were the two most powerful witches in the world, albeit in different capacities, and as long as Lena trusted herself and her magic, they’d be able to fend off anything. She’d even been practicing, under Kara’s guidance, conjuring colourful sparks and weaving illusions of deserts and jungles, and even catching a few turtles in spheres of water that she levitated above the rolling waves. Lena wasn’t good yet, and sometimes she accidentally caused ear splitting explosions instead of the sparks, or wove illusions that were so suffocating let black that they both felt blind, but she was getting better. There was a flicker of hope that she could perform magic and have a small semblance of control.

 

            “Well pretty soon it’ll be easier done too,” Kara told her, flashing a warm smile, “you’re getting pretty good now.”

 

            “Kara, I almost singed our eyebrows off yesterday trying to make a little fire,” Lena reminded her, her mouth turning down at the corners as she grimaced.

 

            Waving a hand dismissively, Kara shrugged slightly, “when I was still learning how to fly, I was up on the Golden Volcano and flew past Fire Falls - it’s like a cliff of magma - and I kind of lost my balance and almost went straight into it. I, uh, well I didn’t, _obviously_ , but I crashed on the side of the mountain and tried to catch myself on my hands. I accidentally made the volcano erupt instead. It’s safe to say that I wasn’t allowed up in the Jewel Mountains anymore.”

 

            Lena let out a surprised laugh, staring at Kara with a bewildered look on her face, as if she wasn’t sure what to make of the odd witch. Shaking her head she sighed, “well I guess that makes me feel a little bit better.”

 

            Smiling, Kara pushed off the railings, “good. I’m going to have a quick nap before we get closer. Wake me when we get close to the first island.”

 

            “Okay,” Lena murmured, staring out at the hazy bumps, which were slightly more defined now.

 

            Nodding, Kara crossed the deck, her shoes squeaking as she tried to keep her balance, and she ducked into the cabin. It still felt as cramped as ever, but the tiny space had started to feel like a home over the past few days. Her jacket was hanging on a hook, they had a kettle on the stove, and her blankets were rumpled from the last time she’d slept. Kicking off her shoes, Kara ducked her head and climbed onto the bottom bunk, slipping under the blanket and staring up at the wooden slats above her. Despite the fact that she’d been keeping since the early hours of the morning, trading off with Lena who had been manning the wheel since sunset, Kara suddenly found herself wide awake. She was sure that it was because she was so close to home - to the place she’d grown up - and she was partly excited, but also terrified, unsure of what she was coming home to.

 

            Pulling the glowing blue wisp out of her pocket, Kara let it go, and it began to hover in midair, making lazy loops as it made high pitched whining sounds, bathing the cabin in its blue light. A rustling sound reached Kara’s ears, and she bit back a yell as a black shadow detached itself from the underside of the bunk and swooped over her head, as Aithusa fluttered over to the furthest corner in the cabin. Kara was somewhat used to the bat always lurking about, but there was something about the leathery wings and slightly piggish look to the fuzzy creature that made her feel a little disgusted by it. Of course she’d never tell Lena that, and she loved to watch the other witch coo and smile as she tickled the bat’s furry stomach when she thought she wasn’t being watched.

 

            Casting a wary look at the corner the bat had taken up residence in, Kara reached out for the wisp, her fingers curling into a makeshift prison as she held it in her hand. Sighing, she tightened her grip, until her hand was glowing orange as the blue light lit it up from within, and Kara closed her eyes. Letting her magic brush against the wisp, she drew on the memories held within it - ones that hadn’t been placed there by her - and she let herself be bombarded with the images, sounds and smells that accompanied the memories of her home. She’d looked at them dozens of times, especially at the beginning, and she knew what to expect, but it only made her more agitated as she lay in the dark, heading towards the hidden island, Lurvan, that housed the remains of the Krypton coven.

 

            Letting go of the ball of light, Kara watched it buzz around her, and grimaced as she reached up to caress it. “What if it’s not the same, Kal-Ex?” It made a quizzical humming sound and Kara let out a quiet laugh, “I guess it wouldn’t be anyway; mom and dad won’t be there.”

 

            Plucking the wisp from the air again, Kara shoved it into the pocket of her jeans and rolled over, pummelling the pillow into shape and burying her face in it, listening to the waves and wind as she let it lull her to sleep.

 

\---

 

            A gentle hand shaking her awake brought Kara to her senses, and she struggled to an upright position, her salt covered hair like straw as it stiffly stuck up in all directions, and Kara blearily looked up at Lena, easily visible in the warm sunlight filtering in through the porthole. “What time is it?” Kara hoarsely asked, her throat feeling dry and her skin slightly sweaty from the humidity of the cabin.

 

            “It must be about eight,” Lena quietly told her, “we’re nearing the first island. I don’t know where to go from here.”

 

            Swinging her legs out of bed, Kara nodded, stretching as she stood up, before padding outside, barefoot. What had been barely visible blips on the flat horizon were now fully fledged islands, covered in green jungle, with mountains that seemed to blot out half of the sky. There were boats dotting the water, and the tiny figures of surfers closer to the sandy shores, riding the smaller waves, and Kara walked over to the wheel, banking to the left to steer around the island. Turning to look at Lena, who had her cap drawn down low over her face, Kara gave her a nervous smile. “We need to pull in at the Red Ocean so we can dock, and then we’ll have to cross the island on foot. We can take the Valley of Juru through the Jewel Mountains, which will bring us out near the base of the Gold Volcano. Then we can walk down to Kandor on the western edge of the island.”

 

            “Why can’t we just sail around to the western edge?” Lena asked, watching as they angled away from the island, the hulking landmass looming up out of the sea with its inviting jungle offering some shade from the sun.

 

            “There’s no port there. Well, I mean, we can’t use the docks in the Red Ocean anyway because we want to go unnoticed, but there’s always been spells warring against anyone landing on the beaches near Kandor anyway. Everyone who wants to visit the Krypton coven has to walk there on foot,” Kara explained, rolling her eyes at the dramatic nature of her coven. “Lurvan isn’t that big though, as far as Hawaiian islands go, so we’re pretty lucky.”

 

            Nodding, Lena turned and walked over to the cabin, dragging the rickety old chair from inside over to the doorway and sitting just inside, where the sun couldn’t reach her. “How long do you reckon until we get there?”

 

            Blowing all the air out of her lungs, Kara helplessly shrugged, “we’ll be at the island in a few hours, I’d say, and then if we fly towards Kandor, we could be there by midnight. If it all goes well, of course.”

 

            “Alright,” Lena murmured, leaning backwards in the chair and suspending herself with magic.

 

            They were both silent as they wove through the islands, sometimes catching the sound of people shouting, or seagulls crying as they wheeled around near the shore. The smell of salt and the jungle was heavy on the air, and Kara closed her eyes, hit by a wave of memories that the smells brought back. Suddenly, she felt as if no time had passed, and she was a little girl again, playing in the surf, with hair that never seemed to be free of sand. Kara almost expected to hear her mom calling her for dinner, and her eyes flew open to bright sunlight and the deck of the ship. Letting out a shaky breath, Kara tightened her knuckles on the wheel, squaring her shoulders in grim determination as she steered them towards their goal. She couldn’t help but wish that Alex was with her. Having a piece of her new family with her would’ve lessened the sting of losing everyone else, but they’d come too far for her to waver now in the face of confronting her past.

 

            They barely talked for the next few hours, and Kara was strongly aware of Lena’s watchful eyes trained on her from the doorway, where she drank tea and pretended to read one of the paperbacks from a cupboard in the cabin. Kara couldn’t stop her eyes from darting to Lena’s face every so often either, and she couldn’t help but notice the way she furrowed her eyebrows when she read every so often, or how she tipped her head back, exposing the delicate arch of her neck as she drained her cup. It filled Kara with a sense of unease, and she pushed it away, chalking it down to the fact that her and Lena were close enough to notice those things about each other. There weren’t many people that Kara was close to, and there were even less for Lena, and Kara couldn’t help but wonder if she thought the whole situation was strange, despite the obvious reasons.

 

            Eventually the water started turning pinky, and Kara peered over the side of the boat, looking down at the sparse carpet of red algae on the ocean floor. Walking to the prow of the boat, she looked down at the more reddish water, and stared towards the semi-circular bay of blood red water. The red algae was a thick blanket over everything the further in they got, making the Red Ocean look like it was made of blood, and Lena made a sound of disgust as she joined Kara at the prow of the yacht.

 

            Letting out a shaky breath, Kara turned to Lena and gave her a nervous smile, “we’re here.”

 

            “Great,” Lena muttered, “I’ll go and put my shoes on.”

 

            Quietly laughing, Kara smiled to herself as she guided the yacht through the red water, staring at the pinkish foam as waves broke on the sandy beach, and she angled to the left to bring them ashore as far away from the rickety old docks as she could. Much to her surprise, there was no one about, and the boats tied up bobbed with the surf, looking almost abandoned. They came to a shuddering halt as sand was displaced and the mounted the beach, swaying precariously as the yacht settled, and Kara smiled brightly, staring out at Lurvan. The last time she’d been on this beach, she’d been fleeing with her cousin, and she’d thought she’d be back soon, not thirteen years later. Better late than never though, Kara thought to herself as she shaded her eyes from the scorching sun and stared at the thick jungle. Turning around, she walked into the cabin to see Lena with a switchblade in hand, sawing at her jeans, and paused in the doorway, blinking in surprise.

 

            “Uh, what’re you doing?” Kara asked, and Lena looked up, giving her a hard stare.

 

            She was silent for a moment, before she turned her attention back to the knife stuck in a hole on her thigh, “I’m making shorts.”

 

             _“Shorts?”_ Kara snorted, biting back a smile as she gave Lena an amused look, “getting into the summer spirit are you?”

 

            “I don’t fancy getting heatstroke and dying in the middle of the jungle,” Lena hotly replied.

 

            “You might even get a tan,” Kara approvingly replied, and Lena flipped her off as she blushed slightly.

 

            Watching her cut the jeans halfway up her thigh, Kara had to admit it was a good idea, and she looked down at her own jeans. Shrugging, she ran her finger around one thigh and watched as the fabric pooled around her ankle, and smiled brightly as Lena gave her an exasperated look, folding her knife back in half. Kara did the other leg and pulled both legs off and gave her new shorts and approving look. “Not bad,” Kara nodded, “want me to do yours for you?”

 

            Lena begrudgingly nodded and climbed to her feet, and Kara hesitantly walked closer to her, until she was look down into Lena’s expectant green eyes. Crouching down before her, Kara slowly reached out and held the jeans in place with one hand and gently touched one finger to the edge of the frayed hole Lena had made. Feeling awkward as she knelt before her and ran a finger around Lena’s leg, Kara cleared her throat. “So, have you ever been anywhere hot before?”

 

            “No,” Lena curtly replied, standing stiffly before Kara, with a wary look on her face.

 

            “Ah, right, well you’ll probably hate it here then,” Kara told her.

 

            Sighing, Lena crossed her arms over her chest, trying to ignore Kara tugging down her cut off leg, “great. So if we could be quick, and get the answers as soon as possible, I would love that.”

 

            Kara let out a quiet laugh and moved to the other leg, repeating the process, “don’t worry, I don’t think it’ll be safe to linger. There’ll be a _lot_ of people who might recognise me. We’ll be in and out as quick as possible.”

 

            “Any plans?” Lena asked as Kara pulled down the other leg and then moved back to the other one. “What’re you doing?” Lena asked as Kara reached out for her leg again.

 

            Looking up, Kara gave her a confused look, “I’m evening them out.”

 

            “It’s not a fucking fashion show, Kara. I don’t want hot pants,” Lena spluttered, looking down at her pale legs.

 

            “Oh ... okay, well they're done then,” Kara said, climbing to her feet and admiring her handiwork, before realising she was staring at Lena’s legs. Turning around to hide her blush, Kara grabbed one of the backpacks and shoved all of their supplies in it. “Better be quick, no time to waste.”

 

            Within minutes, they were both standing on the sandy shores of the island, and Lena looked around with interest while Kara glamoured the boat; the Krypton coven were very secretive, and even she wasn’t above being curious at the place where they lived. So far, her expectations were low though, because the only thing in sight was green jungle and a curved stretch of white sand ringing the bay. Kara hitched the backpack up her back as she stared at the jungle, before reaching out for Lena’s hand, which was warm in Kara’s as she held it tightly. Taking a deep breath, Kara pulled her into her arms and pushed off against the sand, leaving two deep footprints as she propelled them both into the sky. Only people from the covens who could fly were lucky enough to not have to make the trip by foot, and Kara was glad that she’d started being taught since before she could even walk, because it meant they wouldn’t have to walk for miles through the jungle. They’d have to walk some of the way though, because she could only fly for so long with Lena in her arms before she got tired. It would’ve been easier to evanesce, and that was specifically why it wasn’t possible to do it on Lurvan, so they flew, and Kara was surprised that there were no figures flying around in the middle of the day. The city of Kandor, where the coven lived, was on the opposite side of the island, but it hadn't been unusual for people to fly to all corners of Lurvan when she'd been here as a child. Pushing the thoughts aside, Kara set off in a straight line towards the city, feeling her stomach tie itself into knots in anticipation of her homecoming.

 

            The jungle turned into a green blur below them, and Lena spent the whole time scowling as the wind blew in her face and the midday sun beat down on them. It was about an hour before Kara started faltering, causing some turbulence for her passenger as she was buffeted by an air current. Slowly, she lowered them down through the canopy of the jungle and set them down on a thin trail analog through the thick foliage. She took the lead and Lena fell into step behind her, and before long, both of them were hot and sweaty from struggling through vines and trailing branches, their t-shirts clinging to their skin, and their breathing ragged. Kara was even more grateful for Lena’s idea of shorts.

 

            They slowly but surely made progress like that, flying when Kara had the strength and walking when she was too tired to continue. The sun traced its way across the sky as they walked on, and the forest fell dark around them, full of the sounds of life as creatures rustled in the underbrush, unseen to their human eyes. Both of them followed the blue light of the wisp as it bobbed on ahead of Kara, and used their magic to sharpen their senses as they picked their way along the trail.

 

            Still, it was dangerous to walk while it was dark, and as they rounded the cliffside of a small mountain at the beginning of the Jewel Mountains, Kara’s foot slipped and she lurched sidewards. The next thing she knew, her feet were scrabbling at the lip of the path and she was staring into wide eyes, a pale hand holding a fistful of her damp t-shirt, and Lena’s lips quirked up into a wry smile, giving her an eerie look in the dim light. “Careful,” Lena quietly told her, “no one’s dying on this trip. Not _yet.”_

 

            Hauling her back over the edge, Lena let go of her, and Kara brushed a sweaty strand of hair off her forehead as she panted, staring at Lena with surprise and apprehension. She didn’t like the finality of Lena’s words, as if one of them would die in the end, but she was too surprised at the fact that Lena had saved her so quickly. “Thank you,” Kara blurted out.

 

            Shrugging, Lena ducked her head down, scuffing her shoes in the dirt, “don’t mention it.”

 

            “You-“ Kara started to say, but was cut off as someone appeared behind Lena and grabbed her from behind, while arms wound around Kara as well, pinning her arms to her side before she could stop them.

 

            Opening her mouth to say something - anything - Kara stared at Lena with wide eyes, and the next thing she knew, Lena was dropping to her knees, cursing and cupping the back of her head, while her capturer was thickly swearing as he held a hand to his nose. He’d picked Lena up and she’d head butted him, and Kara was too surprised to even say anything as her own capturer let her go and rushed to the man’s aid. She was too surprised to say anything because she knew him, or rather, she knew him thirteen years ago, and hadn’t seen him since. Feeling faint, Kara almost felt like she was looking at a ghost as the man looked at her with blood streaming from between his fingers, and a short woman trying to move his hand so she could take a look.

 

             _“Kal-El?”_


	13. Chapter 13

            “Ow. Kara?” Kal thickly said, one hand clamped over his nose as he peered into the darkness. “Kara, it  _is_  you, right?”

 

            “Yeah, it’s me,” she breathed, her eyes wide with surprise as she took in the deep rumble of her cousin’s voice, and the curl falling across his forehead, in a way that was soothingly familiar.

 

            At her feet, Lena groaned, pushing herself up into a crouch, and Kara quickly dropped down in front of her, reaching out to brush Lena’s hair out of her face. The wisp drifted closer, giving Kara enough light to see by, and she took in the dazed look in Lena’s eyes, wincing at the thought of how hard she must’ve headbutted Kal, and Kara ran her hand through Lena’s hair, her fingers gently probing along the back of her head to try and find a bump. It was already forming an egg on the back of her head, and Kara let her magic seep across Lena’s scalp, healing her while Lena looked up at her with a slightly startled look on her face. “Hey, are you good?” Kara asked her, and Lena shook herself out of it, frowning as she jerkily nodded. Giving her a small smile, Kara nodded, gently patting her on the cheek, “quick reflexes. I’m impressed.”

 

            “Fuck,” Lena groaned, letting Kara pull her to her feet. Then she whirled around, her magic wrestling her in a darkness even blacker than the night, and she started towards Kal, who was letting the shorter woman fix his nose for him.

 

            His eyes widened as he looked at Lena, coming straight for him, and he held a bloody hand out, trying to keep her at bay. “Hey,  _hey_ , wait! I’m not trying to hurt you!”

 

            Kara leapt forward, wrapping her arms around Lena and pinning her hands to her side as she dragged backwards. Lena struggled, wriggling and twisting, while she scowled at the duo before her. “Well you have a funny way of showing it,” Lena huffed, “hasn’t anyone ever told you not to sneak up on someone?”

 

            “He’s my cousin!” Kara exclaimed, letting Lena go as she stopped struggling, stumbling forward a few steps.

 

            “Your  _cousin?”_  Lena asked, blinking in surprise as she extinguished the black fog rolling off her hands.

            

            “I’m Kal-El,” he said, giving her a hesitant smile as he extended a hand, “this is my fiancée, Lois.”

 

            Lena didn’t touch his hand, but she gave them both a curt nod, lingering back as Kara rushed towards her cousin and wrapped him in a tight hug. He quietly laughed, wrapping his arms around her as he picked her up briefly, before setting back down on her feet. “You’ve grown,” Kal said, smiling widely at her.

 

            Kara let out a surprised laugh, “it’s been a while.”

 

            Sobering up slightly, Kal’s smile wavered, “you shouldn’t have come back, Kara. It’s not safe here. Not for anyone, but especially not you.”

 

            “What do you mean?” she asked, her forehead wrinkling in confusion. It wasn’t like she originally wanted to come home anyway, but it had been necessary, and she’d thought that at least her cousin would be happy to see her. Apparently she wasn’t going to get the warm welcome she’d been hoping for.

 

            “I mean that there are people here who want to hurt you,” he gently told her, “that’s why I came as soon as I felt the flare of magic. I knew it was you. I came to get you out of here.”

 

            Spluttering, Kara shook her head, “I can’t go. I need to see the Council of Elders. I need to find answers, Kal.”

 

            “What answers?” Lois suspiciously asked.

 

            “I-I need to know what …  _this_  means,” Kara slowly admitted, holding up her hand, the black runes in stark contrast to her skin, leached of its colour by the dim moonlight filtering down through the canopy of the jungle. “I don’t have a choice anymore. We’re being hunted.”

 

            Kal’s eyes widened in surprise, and he blanked slightly, his eyes scanning the jungle, as if expecting someone to jump out and attack them. Instead, the early dusk was filled with the sounds of birds chattering and the cries of other unfamiliar animals that sounded a little ominous. Everything from the thick foliage and suffocating humidity was something that had become unfamiliar to Kara, and she wasn’t enjoying being back as much as she’d thought she would. Swatting at a mosquito that landed on her mud and sweat streaked skin, she stared at Kal, waiting for him to say something, while she tried to ignore the feeling of Lena’s intense stare on the side of her head.

 

            “We need to move,” Lois muttered, “we’ll take one each.”

 

            Nodding, Kal turned to Kara, his eyes momentarily darting to Lena, widening in surprise, before he looked back at his cousin. “You both need to come with us. We know a shortcut to somewhere safe. We can talk then.”

 

            Trusting him completely, Kara started towards him, while Lena warily hung back, before ultimately deciding to trust Kara’s instincts. She seemed to have a normal family, where they trusted and loved each other, and Lena begrudgingly trusted that she wouldn’t willingly lead them into trouble. With a hesitant look on his face, Kal scratched the back of his neck, giving Kara an apologetic smile, “I’m going to have to carry you.”

 

            “Okay,” Kara wearily nodded, knowing she was too tired to fly, and she let her cousin pick her up in one easy motion. She turned to look at Lena when Kal gave Lois a quick nod, sighing as she watched Lena skitter away.

 

            Holding a hand out to keep the other woman at bay, Lena scowled, “hang on a second. I didn’t agree to being airlifted to god knows where by a stranger.”

 

            Letting out a quiet snort of laughter, Kara gave her an amused look, “I mean, technically that’s  _exactly_  what you agreed to with me.”

 

            “But I  _know_  you!” Lena protested, “they could be … I don’t know, bounty hunters. Slave traders. Axe murderers.”

 

            “I’m a scribe,” Kal curtly replied, “I was a Guardian but … well, I’ll explain it all later. Now, either you’re staying here all night for the slave traders and bounty hunters, or you’re coming with us.”

 

            Crossing her arms over her chest, Lena scowled, “fine.”

 

            As soon as Lois had Lena held in her arms, the dark haired girl looking sullen at the arrangement, they shot off into the air, and Kara felt the familiar thrill of flying as the ground fell away. Kal flew higher up, towards the peak of the Golden Volcano disappearing amongst the clouds, and Kara watched as they sped over an endless sea of grey. A short while later, Kara found herself drifting up through the clouds, the water vapour soaking through her clothes as they went up and up. She shouted to Kal, asking him where they were going - what this shortcut was - when all of a sudden, they dropped, and her stomach dropped with her. Kara hadn’t fallen out of the sky flying since she was a child, and she twisted in her cousin’s arms, feeling him tighten his grip on her. He wasn’t falling, he was doing it on purpose, and Kara went rigid in his arms, feeling the air rush past her as they went lower and lower. The air turned stiflingly hot, and Kara felt like she was suffocating as they descended through the darkness. She wasn’t sure how long they fell for, but she felt it when Kal started to fly again, the air currents slowing around them, until eventually, he landed with a quiet thud and set her on her feet. A small thud beside them, and then Lena was stood beside Kara, her invisible in the dark.

 

            “Where are we?” Kara quietly asked, her voice echoing slightly, letting her know that wherever she was, it was big.

 

            Letting out a quick chuckle, Kal clapped his hands, his deep blue aura sparking as he lit up the room, which Kara quickly realised was a cavern. The ground beneath her was convoluted and rough, and it didn’t look like it had been hewn by hand, which begged the question - where had they been taken?

 

            “We’re inside the Golden Volcano,” Kal said, raising his glowing hands and throwing the light up as high as he could, bathing the whole place in an eerie blue light. 

 

            “It’s not active,” Kara murmured, looking around as she looking for the glowing orange of magma.

 

            “You couldn’t see it in the dark, but a lot of the surrounding jungle is a wasteland right now,” Kal explained, starting off towards a tunnel hewn into the side of the cavern, “it erupted after you left. Things- well, there was a lot of fighting. Too much magic caused it to erupt. Everyone had to go underground until it stopped, and the whole island was covered in ash. Now, it’s our home.”

 

            They followed after him, Kara eagerly listening as she anxiously waited for information on the situation here. “What happened to Kandor? Was the city destroyed too?”

 

            “No,” Kal slowly said, “but it’s not safe there anymore.”

 

            “Why not?” Kara asked, frowning as her cousin kept skirting around the sensitive information he was so clearly keeping from her. Reaching out and grabbing his arm to pull him around, Kara gave him a searching look. “Kal, what happened? I know my parents- what else happened?”

 

            He sighed, giving her a sad look, “it was … chaos, Kara. Both of our parents, the elders, the Science Guild and the Religious Guild. Most of the other guilds too. Virtually everyone except the Military Guild was killed off. Anyone who resisted was taken out by them, and they even freed the prisoners in Fort Rozz too.”

 

            “Who?” Kara hoarsely asked, “how many are left?”

 

            “General Zod,” Kal bitterly told her, “he led the attack. There’s only- only ten of us left. Including you. Everyone else is … gone.”

 

            Kara felt winded as her cousin’s words took her by surprise, and she felt the blood drain from her face as the shock of his words hit home.  _“Ten?”_  she breathlessly echoed, “no, no, no, there has to be more. There were hundreds - thousands - of us. There has to be others, in other covens and- and just … wandering around.”

 

            His mouth set in a grim line, Kal shook his head, a sympathetic look in his eyes. “I’m sorry. There’s no one else. They’ve started rebuilding the coven over the past few years, bringing in outsiders and teaching them our ways, but out of all of us born here, to pure bloodlines … there’s ten of us.”

 

            Pressing her lips together, Kara nodded, ducking her head down as she blinked back tears. She’d had thirteen years to come to terms with the fact that her parents were dead, and in some respect, she had, but she had in no way been prepared for the downfall of what was practically her entire coven. Rumours of the situation within the Krypton coven hadn’t circulated, and Kara realised it was because there was no one to leak the story of how dire their situation was, and she felt completely blindsided as she stumbled after her cousin. A warm hand on her shoulder gave her some small comfort, and she drew in a shuddering breath as Lena gently squeezed. Kara didn’t face her, because she wasn’t sure if she wanted to see the look of pity in Lena’s eyes. Instead, she just kept following Kal, and Lois brought up the rear, as they walked through the winding tunnel, the air heavy and smelling faintly damp and metallic, with it growing staler the further they went. She could feel the wards too, as she passed each one by, the magic hitting her like a brick wall, which was both comforting and concerning - she’d hoped they’d be safe here, without the worry of being attacked.

 

            Eventually, after a warren of tunnels, they came out into a brightly lit room, sparsely decorated to resemble a makeshift living area, with a crackling fire already burning in the fire pit. “Well, this is home for the time being,” Kal grimly proclaimed, gesturing towards the rundown assortment of furniture.

 

            “How about you both go to the bathing room and I’ll get dinner going,” Lois suggested, and Kara blinked as she looked at the red haired woman, the feeling that she knew her striking her again. She had a kind face, and there was something familiar about it. “I’ll get something clean for you to wear too.”

 

            “That would be amazing,” Kara gratefully told her, her shirt clinging to her sweat soaked skin, worn and dirty after wearing it for two weeks at sea. She knew she looked a mess, and any chance for a bath was welcomed.

 

            Smiling, Lois disappeared through another archway for a moment, leaving Kara to shyly sneak glimpses of her cousin as he moved around the place, adding more wood to the fire. He was a little pale and had a scruffy beard starting to grow, and his curls were a little longer, making him look a little more rugged than the clean cut guy he’d been when she’d last seen him. He’d been barely eighteen then, and still had the scrawny lanky look of someone getting used to their height, but now he had grown into it, and there was an air of confidence around him. Clearly he’d been through a lot too, especially if he was living inside a volcano.

 

            She was still wondering about what else her cousin had been through, and knew about their coven, when Lois returned with a pile of clothes in her arms. Jerking her head towards another archway, she disappeared into it, and Kara and Lena closely followed behind, trying not to slip on the smooth floor as the passageway sloped downwards. It was a short walk, and a few minutes later, they walked into a room, bathed in green light from the crystals growing around a large steaming pool of water.

 

            “Is that kryptonite?” Kara asked, her eyes widening at the sight of the dangerous substance sprouting from the rocky ground.

 

            “Be careful not to touch it and you should be fine,” Lois briskly told her, setting the clothes down on the far side of the cave, and pulling some towels off a shelf carved into the rock of the walls. “Just follow the path up when you’re finished. Take as long as you need.”

 

            They were left alone, and Kara looked at Lena, who looked eerie in the greenish light of the room, and worn out from their hiking through the jungle. Neither of them were in a position to complain about the lack of privacy, and Kara turned around to let Lena undress, waiting as clothes hit the floor and water splashed, before Lena called out to let her know she could turn around. Quickly stripping off her own clothes, Kara walked over to the opposite side of the pool and slipped into the hot water, the minerals in it making her skin sting, even as it soothed her aching muscles. Dunking her head underwater, Kara resurfaced and wiped at her face, feeling refreshed already, and she quickly set about scrubbing herself clean, while Lena silently busied herself on the other side of the pool. By the time she was finished, Kara’s skin was dirt free, and her golden hair was finally free from the coating of salt that she hadn’t been able to escape at sea. 

 

            Sitting on a small ledge that ran around the inside of the pool, she tilted her head back and closed her eyes, basking in the warmth of the water as she lingered a little while longer. Lena was quiet too, and she could almost forget she was across from her as she sat there in peace. 

 

            “I’m sorry about your coven,” Lena quietly interrupted her after a few minutes.

 

            Eyelids fluttering open, Kara stared at her, feeling herself flush as she met Lena’s eyes across the water. “Thank you,” Kara murmured, feeling conflicted about whether or not it was appropriate for her to grieve for a coven she’d been gone from for half of her life - especially when it had been so long since everyone had died. “It was a long time ago.”

 

            “Not for you,” Lena shrugged, trailing her fingers through the water. A strand of hair clung to her face, and Kara’s fingers itched to brush it away for her, but that would be too close for comfort.

 

            Shrugging, Kara sank beneath the water again, her eyes squeezed shut as she drew a bubble of air around her head, sucking in a lungful of air as she watched the water ripple around her. She couldn’t stay down here forever, and she wasn’t trying to hide from or avoid Lena, but she didn’t want to talk about everyone she’d lost just yet. It had been a long day, and Kara was struggling with the disappointment of not being able to get the answers they’d come for, as well as feeling irritated that she’d allowed Eliza to talk her into coming anyway. Even worse, she’d convinced Lena into coming as well, and it was turning into one giant disappointment. Sucking in a quick breath, she let the bubble disband, and resurfaced again, giving a concerned looking Lena a small smile.

 

            “We should leave tomorrow,” Kara quietly told her, “there’s no point in staying if we can’t get our answers.”

 

            “Sure, Kara,” Lena wearily replied, “just as long as we’re not going anywhere tonight. I don’t think my legs could even carry my weight.”

 

            They were both tired, and they didn’t want to repeat the journey back through the jungle so soon, but if what Kal said was true, they didn’t want to linger either. Tonight, they’d rest, and then they’d sail back to San Francisco and meet back up with Alex and Maggie. From there, Kara had no idea where they would go, but they had to keep searching for answers, especially if they wanted to be the Seekers who finally found the Codex. It was too dangerous for them to stay still, so either way, they were going to have to keep running, and while it would’ve been safer for them to split up, they were more powerful together, and Kara trusted Lena enough to know that they would protect each other. For now, they could relax though, and trust that the wards would hold off any attacks, if anyone found them in the first place.

 

            Making sure Lena closed her eyes, Kara climbed out of the pool and wrapped a towel around herself, before she started rifling through the pile of clothes, setting aside the darker shades for Lena, who was soon beside her, her wet hair dripping around her shoulders as she shivered slightly. They both moved to opposite ends of the room, with their backs to each other, and Kara was soon dressed in a pair of tan shorts and a deep red tank top, feeling so much cleaner than she had in a long time. With a quick spell, she dried her hair, and then offered to do the same for Lena, who was dressed similarly, and looking equally as relieved and less stressed at the safety of the place. Together, they walked back up the long, sloping passageway, Kal-Ex lighting the way, both of them trying to pretend that their legs and lungs weren’t burning as the path turned steep, much to their annoyance.

 

            And then they were in the living area again, and there was another person in there. Kara froze as she looked at the dark haired woman, perhaps a few years older and dressed in a sleeveless black tunic, a ruby necklace around her neck. Lena was confused about the odd outfit in such a humid climate, but she didn’t have time to wonder for long, because Kara let out a surprised gasp.  _“Thara?”_

 

            “Kara,” the woman laughed as she climbed to her feet, “it’s been a long time.”

 

            A smile spread across Kara’s face as she rushed across the room and threw her arms around the other woman, hugging her tightly as they rocked slightly with the force at which Kara ran into her. Lena was baffled by the sight, and she frowned slightly as she watched Kara and the other woman - Thara - babble excitedly in a different language. It was a few minutes before Kara remembered herself, and dropped her hands from the friends shoulders, turning to look a Lena, a look of delight lighting up her face.

 

            “There’s someone I want you to meet - all of you,” Kara said, blinking when she realised that she’d never introduced Lena to Kal or Lois either - there hadn’t been much time - and she slowly wandered closer to Lena, “this is Lena Luthor. She’s the other Seeker. Lena, this is my friend, Thara Ak-Var.”

 

            “Miss Luthor,” Thara said, her eyes widening slightly in surprise, “it’s an honour.”

 

            Lena gave her a curt not, her face expressionless as she glanced at all three of the strangers, feeling strongly out of place. She caught the look on Kal’s face though, and he gave her a small smile, “so you’re Alexander Luthor’s little sister. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting your brother.”

 

            Scoffing, Lena pursed her lips slightly, “anyone who’s met Lex knows that it’s  _never_  a pleasure.”

 

            Laughing, Kal pulled his shirt up, exposing a thick white scar near his heart, “I’ll say. He gave me this.”

 

            “Please, come and sit near the fire,” Lois interrupted, “there’ll be enough time to exchange stories, but you must be starving.”

 

            Kara nodded, looping her arm through Thara’s as she led them both over to the fire, leaving Lena to trail after them both, sitting herself down further away from them. Oblivious to the dark look Lena was shooting her, Kara fell into easy conversation with the woman who had been her childhood best friend. She hadn’t expected anyone she knew, except her cousin, to have survived, and it was a small consolation to know that her friend had, and Kara was filled with excitement at the prospect of catching up with her. “So, you ended up in the Religious Guild?” Kara asked, eyeing the red ruby glinting in the firelight, and the worn black tunic that she remembered seeing on the members of the Religious Guild when she was growing up, “I never would’ve expected that.”

 

            “Military Guild first,” Thara admitted, giving her a grim look, “I might’ve been better off staying there. I was lucky enough to survive as it was - they pretty much slaughtered the Religious Guild first, so I fell in with General Zod and his band of thugs.”

 

            “Why?” Kara hoarsely asked, unsure whether she wanted to hear the answer.

 

            Judging by the look on her friend’s face, she didn’t, but Thara answered her anyway. “I was too young to have joined a guild before, but they slaughtered anyone who opposed them or … well, supported you, so I did what I had to do to stay alive. The Religious Guild have always wanted the Seekers to find whatever it is you’re looking for, and General Zod put a lot of blame on your parents keeping you a secret. He would’ve killed you if he had the chance.”

 

            Looking over at Kal, Kara felt a bit faint, even though people wanting her dead was the reason why she’d had to flee in the first place. “This is why I shouldn’t have come back?”

 

            Nodding, Kal gave her a fierce look, “he’s in Kandor with his makeshift army, trying to teach them Kryptonian magic and repopulate the island. If he knows you’re here … we’ll, we’re only alive because he hasn’t figured out that we’re here yet. We’re all dead if he finds out.”

 

            “Why did you come back after you left me?” Kara quietly asked, a frown gracing her face as she stared at her cousin across the fire. He could’ve just left and never come back; there was nothing here for him anyway.

 

            “I stayed on the mainland for years, up until recently. I was living in Metropolis, working as a Guardian, until recently, when Lois’ sister told James - he’s her boyfriend, and my best friend - that you were being hunted. She said that she was helping keep the Daxamite Hunters off your tail with your sister,” Kal explained.

 

            Kara blinked in surprise, looking at Lois and realising that that’s where she knew her from. Her sister was one of the Battle Mages who had shown up with Alex at Eliza’s house, and given her and Lena the chance to escape. “Your sister is Lucy Lane?”

 

            Lois started in surprise, her eyebrows rising slightly, “you know Lucy?”

 

            Giving her a small smile, Kara nodded, “I don’t know her that well, but she’s worked with my sister for years. She helped me and Lena out of a tight spot a few weeks back.”

 

            “Right, well, she’s been keeping me informed,” Kal said, giving her a warm smile, “I couldn’t completely abandon my cousin. I’m sorry if you ever thought that I did, I just- I didn’t know how to raise a child, but I always kept tabs on you. As soon as I heard you were being hunted, I knew that you’d eventually come home to find answers, so Lois and I came here. We’ve been here about two months now. Luckily Thara found us when we landed here, and told us what had happened. I’ve been reading and copying all of the information that we can steal, so none of it gets lost.”

 

            “We might be able to give you the answers you’re looking for,” Thara told her.

 

            Feeling a flicker of hope well up inside, Kara perked up slightly, thanking Lois when she handed her a bowl of some strange looking soup. She’d felt disheartened at the fact that there was no one here to help her - all of the Elders were gone - but if Kal and Thara had been reading information from all of the old archives, then perhaps there was a chance that they had found out what Kara and Lena needed to know, or at least had a starting point. She looked at Lena, who was hunched over, holding her own bowl as she silently ate, and Kara felt her smile waver slightly when Lena didn’t meet her gaze. Still, she was excited, and perhaps their trip hadn’t been in vain. Either way, Kara felt safer than she had in a while, and after so long on a boat with just Lena, it was overwhelming to be surrounded by so many other people - people she  _knew_ . Digging into her soup, Kara turned back to Thara, falling into easy conversation with her, while Kal chimed in with the occasional comment. 

 

            Their bowls were soon empty, and Kara was struggling to keep her eyes open, and by the looks of things, so was Lena. Kal took their empty bowls off them and then Lois was there, giving them both kind smiles as she ushered them to their feet and down a different hallway. Soon enough, the two witches found themselves in a small, dank cave with two rusted bunks, which had never sounded so inviting, and they were both almost asleep before their heads hit the pillows, unable to even stay awake to talk a few moments. It was strange for them to not have to take shifts steering the yacht, or to not have the sea gently rocking them to sleep, and they both gratefully sank onto the mattresses and were out like a light before Lois had even left, letting the ratty curtain fall back into place behind her. There would be time for talking tomorrow, and time for answers too.


	14. Chapter 14

            They spent a few days resting and recovering, eating and sleeping as much as they could to make up for their meagre meals and shifts at the wheel on the ship, and Kara spent every moment conversing with Thara in Kryptonian, occasionally turning to Kal for his input too. Lena didn’t really say much at all, sullenly helping Lois with chores around the place, washing dishes, cooking and fetching water, savouring the few minutes above ground that the task allowed her. If Kara had been paying attention, she would’ve noticed a drastic change in Lena’s demeanour, but she was too consumed with her old friend to even realise. It wasn’t all idle chatting though, and Kara spent many hours asking Thara what she knew about the tunes on the back of her hand and down Lena’s spine. Lena’s were quickly dismissed, not being of Kryptonian origin, and thus, outside of Thara’s knowledge, but there was a few snippets that she was able to glean from the ancient runes, along with the help of Kal.

 

            Between the two of them, they’d taken on a the roles of the Council of Elders, although what little information they gleaned from old texts paled in comparison to what the dead Elders had known. Thara told Kara that they would’ve been able to help her, and Kara bitterly regretted the fact that she had been the cause of the downfall of her people. Still, she learnt a few bits and pieces from the old tales and religious stories her cousin and friend knew, and from what they could deduce, the circular pattern of runes, creating the outside of the compass, hinted at a secret location. There was no doubt that the arrow pointed in the direction they needed to go, and if their interpretation of the runes were to be believed, it was a secret location constructed by Rao, the god of the sun and light, and Cythonna, the goddess of ice and death, creating a place in perfect balance.

 

            Kara was turning the answers she’d received over in her mind once more, deep in thought as she tried to figure out what they were seeking and what Lena’s runes meant. That was the next step of their trip, finding out what her runes said, because Kara was sure it would help them fill in the blanks, and give them the knowledge that was missing from the Kryptonian texts. She turned at the sound of footsteps crunching through the underbrush, smiling slightly at the sight of Lena making her way towards her, her eyebrows drawn down low over her hard stare.

 

            “There you are,” Lena grumbled, tugging the brim of her baseball cap down low.

 

            “Hey, I was just thinking,” Kara told her, her lips turning down at the corners as she frowned slightly, “we’ve been trying to figure out where to find answers for your runes.”

 

            Lena scoffed, arching an eyebrow as she stared off into the jungle, her arms folded across her chest and a dark look on her face. “Oh, have you? Perhaps you’d like to share these plans,” Lena snarkily replied.

 

            “Is everything … okay?” Kara hesitantly asked, blinking in surprise at Lena’s tone.

 

            “I think we should leave,” Lena bluntly replied, “we’ve been here for too long, and like your cousin said, it’s dangerous here.”

 

            Kara’s eyes widened slightly and she quickly scrambled for an excuse as she climbed to her feet. “It’s only been a few days! We’ve only just started going through the old stuff Kal and Thara salvaged. They haven’t had the chance to go through it all yet, so one of them could have answers.”

 

            Letting out a sharp laugh, Lena smiled slightly, “yeah, somehow I don’t think dusty books on the Krypton coven’s history is going to help figure out the ancient runes of another coven.”

 

            “Well unless you have a better idea …” Kara said, trailing off as she raised her eyebrows expectantly.

 

            “Yeah, I do, it’s called getting off this island. I don’t like the feel of it,” Lena said, casting a wary look around, “there’s too much death here.”

 

            Kara let out a quick laugh, “what, are you telling me you believe in ghosts now? You’re a bit too old to be scared of that, aren’t you?”

 

            “You’d be stupid not to,” Lena bitingly replied, “and don’t be so condescending; it’s the living I’m worried about. We’re not alone.”

 

            “No one’s come here for days,” Kara sighed, giving Lena and exasperated look.

 

            “And no one found me in the dead zone I was living in for years, until you showed up,” Lena replied, “besides, there’s nothing else your friend can tell you, or she already would’ve. She’s of no use to us anymore so what’s the point in staying? We’re better off by ourselves.”

 

            Blinking in surprise at the jealous tone in Lena’s voice, Kara’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you … jealous?”

 

            Letting out a cold laugh, Lena scoffed, “jealous? Of what?”

 

            “That I have another friend,” Kara said, “that I have family.”

 

            “Please,” Lena huffed, “we’re not friends, why would I be jealous of her? And it’s not like I don’t have family that’s alive. At least I have a mother.”

 

            Wincing slightly at the insinuation behind Lena’s words, Kara felt a prickle of anger and clenched her hands to fight off the magic pooling in her fingertips and palms. She could feel it, hot and pulsing, filling the air with a coppery smell that coated her tongue as she spoke. “I have a mother too,” Kara said in a clipped tone, “and Thara is just trying to help us.”

 

            “Well I don’t _need_ her help,” Lena snapped, “we can do it ourselves. She hasn’t given us anything useful.”

 

            “She’s done more than you have,” Kara hotly replied, feeling defensive of her old friend, and a little wounded that Lena was being so ungrateful for the help of Kal and Thara - or just Thara it seemed, seeing as she’d made no mention of Kal.

 

            Lena’s eyes blazed with anger, and thin wisps of black smoke curled around her as she struggled to keep her magic in check. “It’s not like I wanted to come in the first place,” Lena reminded her.

 

            Arms spreading in a helpless gesture, Kara stared at her with a look of confusion, “then why did you come?”

 

            “Because you asked me too!” Lena spluttered, “I didn’t want to. Do you honestly think I give a shit about this thing we’re supposed to be finding? It’s been months and all we’ve got to show for ourselves is more questions and a nice suntan.”

 

            Kara couldn’t stop the bubble of laughter that fell from her lips as she stared at Lena’s pasty skin, making Lena’s scowl deepen. “Come on, Lena, we need answers.”

 

            “You promised we wouldn’t stay long,” Lena reminded her.

 

            “Because I thought there would actually be people here to catch us,” Kara exasperatedly explained.

 

            “Well sorry that you’re the reason they’re all dead, but that doesn’t mean that we’re any safer with the lunatic people who killed them all running around the place,” Lena snapped.

 

            Mouth falling open in surprise, Kara gave Lena a wounded look, before she was hit by a wave of anger, turning her fists white as a haze of magic surrounded her, turning her eyes a milky white. Lena’s were black holes staring at her from within dark shadows, only fuelling Kara’s anger as they faced off against each other. “They might’ve died because of who I am, but at least I didn’t do it with my own hands,” Kara shot back, unable to keep the words from falling, but regretting them instantly, especially when she watched Lena’s face go slack for a moment, hearing the sharp exhale as if she’d punched Lena in the stomach.

 

            It had been a low blow, she knew it, and she opened her mouth to apologise, but was knocked off her feet by a force hitting her in her chest, sending her flying backwards, feet over head as she tumbled down a relatively flat part of the volcano, rolling through ferns and bushes until she came to an abrupt halt at the base of a tree. Shaking her head to clear it, she stumbled to her feet, blinking back dark spots as she scowled up at the dark figure of Lena standing high above her. Gathering air currents around her, Kara manoeuvred her was back up to where Lena was standing, gently landing on the earth a few metres away from her and wiping some of the dirt off as she looked at Lena.

 

            “I’m sorry,” Kara blurted out, a guilty knot in her stomach as she gave Lena a pleading look.

 

            Scoffing, Lena turned around and began walking down the thin trail winding down the side of the jungle covered mountain, with a careless “forget about it,” thrown over her shoulder as an afterthought.

 

            “Where are you going?” Kara called after her, trampling leaves and twigs in her haste to follow.

 

            “Back to the boat,” Lena stiffly replied, swatting at a mosquito, “I’m getting off this shitty island.”

 

            “What, you’re just going to leave me here?” Kara exclaimed.

 

            Lena huffed, whirling around to face her, “well apparently you don’t need my help, so what’s the point in staying, hm?”

 

            Kara watched her eyes turn black for a moment as Lena turned back around, brushing ferns and trailing branches aside, and leapt forward to touch her on the shoulder, watching as a line of light shone through the thin fabric of the tank top. At the same time, Lena skittered forward, turning around with her hands held up, “don’t touch me.”

 

            Frowning, Kara opened her mouth to protest, but the snap of a distant branch caught her attention. Wondering if it was Kal, Kara turned to look in that direction, a confused look on her face. Drawing in a deep breath to call out, Kara opened her mouth to shout, but found a hand clapped over it and her back pushed up against the smooth bark of a tree. Lena’s green eyes were angry as she gave Kara a hard look, “don’t be an idiot. You don’t know who that is.”

 

            Pushing her off her, Kara sighed, giving her a withering look, “how many people do you think are wandering around in the jungle? There’s no one left to do it.”

 

            Setting off in the direction the snap had come from, Kara traipsed through the jungle, ducking under low handing branches and crunching leaves underfoot, which Lena trailed after her, whispering furiously to get her attention, and cursing under her breath. The dense trees and flowering underbrush gave way to a small clearing in the side of the volcano, the convoluted streaks of long hardened lava covered in sparse grass and ferns, and Kara stopped at the edge of the treeline, taking in the sight of a dark haired woman holding a flat yellow crystal in the palm of her hand, only half of her face visible at the angle she was standing at. Lena had joked about ghosts, but now Kara felt like she was seeing one, and her bottom lip trembled as she stared at the familiar sight of the woman, feeling breathless as she fought back tears.

 

            “Mom?” she softly called out, her voice faintly calling out across the clearing, startling the other woman.

 

            She turned to look at Kara, her eyes widening in surprise, a white streak visible in her dark hair as a gentle wind ruffled it, and her mouth fell open as she faltered for a second. “Kara?”

 

            “Aunt Astra?” Kara exclaimed, recognising the white streak and stamping down a flicker of disappointment at the fact that it was the wrong twin. Still, she couldn’t help but feel a rush of happiness at the fact that her aunt was alive, and she quickly took a few steps forward, before Lena’s hand wrapped around her arm.

 

            With a surprised look in her eyes, Kara looked back over her shoulder, taking in the tense set of Lena’s shoulders and the grim line of her mouth, her eyes flashing a warning. “Kara,” she hissed.

 

            Laughing away her concerns, Kara gave her a warm smile, “it’s okay, Lena, I know her. She’s family.”

 

            “It’s a bit odd that Kal-El never mentioned her being alive,” Lena murmured, her lips barely moving as she closely watched Astra struggle up the gentle incline towards them. “Maybe there’s a reason for that.”

 

            Scoffing, Kara pulled her arm out of Lena’s and turned back around, leaving Lena where she stood, her arms stubbornly folded across her chest, trying to hide the fact that she was ready to spring forward at any moment and attack this new witch that had popped up out of nowhere. Ignoring Lena’s suspicions, Kara eagerly sped forward, coming up short a few feet away from Astra, who wasted no time crossing the distance to wrap her in a tight hug.

 

            “Kara,” she breathlessly exclaimed, giving her a slight squeeze, “you’ve grown.”

 

            “I thought you-“ Kara choked out, feeling so small as she let her aunt hug her like she used to do when Kara was younger, even if she wasn’t that small anymore.

 

            “I escaped,” Astra told her.

 

            Feeling a small spark of hope inside, Kara pulled back, meeting those eyes that brought back hundreds of forgotten memories from her mom and her aunt - those eyes that were identical copies of her mom’s - and she swallowed the lump in her throat, trying not to get her hopes up. “Did anyone-“

 

            “Just me,” Astra told her, giving her a grim smile, “and Non.”

 

            “Oh,” Kara murmured, her hopes dying with just a few words as her eyes stung slightly. “How did you get here? Kal didn’t say-“

 

 

            “Kal?” Astra sharply asked, “Kal-El?” Nodding as she smiled, Kara didn’t notice the hard look in her aunt’s eyes, she only saw the warm smile a moment later, and felt the warmth of her hand on Kara’s arm. “I haven’t seen him since he came back. I guess he’s been trying to stay away from Zod.”

 

            Nodding as she cast a quick glance around, seeing no signs of danger, and only a sullen looking Lena further up the side of the volcano, Kara felt slightly relieved that there was someone else she could trust. “Yeah, he’s told me all about how things are on the island. We’ve been keeping a low profile so we don’t get found out.”

 

            A quick smile off Astra, and the squeeze of her hand, and Kara felt the glow of love and pride that she’d always gotten from her aunt. They’d always been close, and it had been upsetting for Kara when Astra had been sent away, especially when she hadn’t been given a reason. “Smart girl. It’s okay though, I can protect you. You should come with me.”

 

            With a look of longing on her face, Kara hesitated, glancing back to find Lena gone. “I can’t. The others-“

 

            “I’m sure they’ll be fine,” Astra waves away her concerns. “And you’ll be safe with me. Family belongs with family, and I’ve always protected you. You’re special, Kara, I’ve always told you that. Remember?”

 

            “I remember,” Kara softly replied, a wistful look on her face for the life that had accompanied the memories that crossed her mind. “Lena- she’s a friend … I can’t leave her though.”

 

            Giving her a small smile, Astra nodded, letting go of her. “Of course. I understand. You should go and speak to her, she could come with you.”

 

            Smiling at the prospect, Kara eagerly nodded, “where can I meet you again, to let you know what we decide?”

 

            “How about right here?” Astra offered, “we can meet here again tomorrow at midday. How does that sound?”

 

            “Okay,” Kara willingly agreed. She was wrapped in another tight hug by Astra, and she clung to her with a desperation she didn’t know she had, craving the warm embrace of someone who loved her. She’d been relieved and overjoyed to see Kal again, but it wasn’t like this. Being reunited with Astra was like having a small piece of her mom back, and Kara wished that she could go with her right then, but this wasn’t just about her. She’d come here for a reason, and she couldn’t stay long anyway.

 

            Lingering a few more moments, Kara said goodbye to Astra, promising to see her tomorrow, and let her magic strengthen her senses as she tried to hone in on any sounds of footsteps or unusual sounds in the jungle to try and find Lena - she couldn’t have made it back into the volcano without someone else flying her back into it - and she felt a blast of energy off to her right. Eyes widening as they slowly turned back to blue, she turned to look at Astra, who was also looking off in the same direction. At the same time, they both summoned air currents and sped through the air, towards the direction the surge had come from, and Kara knew it in her gut that it was Lena. She just hoped that whoever else was there hadn’t hurt her yet. The mere thought of it made her panic, and she put on a burst of speed, the air rushing past her as she sharpened her sight, until she could make out the dark haired figure in the midst of a group of others.

 

            Landing in a crouch with enough force to shake the ground beneath their feet, Kara slowly rose to her feet, white energy crackling around her as she looked around at the witches and wizards assembled, noticing that a few lay unconscious around the clearing. She recognised her uncle immediately, and she frowned slightly, wondering what he was doing there. As Astra landed a few moments later, with a lot less drama, it all began to make sense, and Kara felt stupid for not heeding Lena’s warning.

 

            “Don’t hurt her,” Astra snapped, giving the massive man with a buzz it a hard look as he held Lena tightly in his grip. She twisted and turned, trying to free herself, and Kara took a step towards him, a white light shimmering around her in a deadly warning. The others all shifted slightly, a rainbow of auras flickering to life, but none brighter than Kara’s blinding light, or darker than Lena’s writhing shadows that snaked around her as she struggled. “Zod,” Astra snapped, taking a step forward as her own indigo aura glowed dangerously around her, “let her go, before someone gets hurt.”

 

            “Let go of a prize like this? Both Seekers in our grasp,” Zod coldly laughed, “we can finally put them out of their misery. If my eyes aren’t deceiving me, Kara Zor-El has returned to the graveyard she created. She can die here on the same soil her parents did.”

 

            “That wasn’t part of the plan,” Astra stiffly replied, and Kara shot her a look of betrayal at the fact that she’d been working with him at all. “You’re right, they’re a prize. One that we can use. Think about what we could do if they unlocked the Codex and we had them at our disposal. They’re worth more to us alive.”

 

            Kara choked on a sound of surprise, realising that Astra’s smooth words had all been carefully crafted lies to lull Kara into trusting her like she had as a child. She couldn’t help but wonder if the reason why she’d left had been more than Astra had led her to believe, and perhaps that was why Kara’s mother had been so uptight about her asking questions about when Astra would be back.

 

            “You planned this?” Kara hoarsely asked, feeling slightly sick at the thought of her aunt using her to further the gains of the Krypton coven.

 

            “Kara, listen to me,” Astra gently told her, her arms outstretched as she slowly walked towards her, her steps measured as if she thought Kara would bolt like a frightened animal. She was rooted to the spot though, and Astra cradled her shoulders in her hands, giving her a warm smile that begged Kara to trust her. “What your cousin told you about our coven is true, but you can help change that. We just want to help you find whatever the Gods have hidden for you, and then we could work together to restore Krypton to its former glory.”

 

            Zod made a disapproving sound, shooting Astra a dark look as he kept his arms around a still wriggling Lena, who was trying to scramble for as much magic as she could after her large blast before. “They’ll both tear the world apart if we don’t stop them. They’re weapons, Astra, not pets that we can tame and bend to our will. The only way to stop them is to kill them.”

 

            Kara leapt forward as his muscled arms got Lena in a headlock, intending to snap her neck, but she was too slow to reach him, and he was already swearing loudly, doubled over in pain when she reached him. Lena pulled the small switchblade out of his thigh, her hand coated in slick, red blood, and this time when she twisted in his grip, he couldn’t stop her. She blasted him backwards, and then whirled around to face Kara, who reached out for her, but was yanked backwards as vines from the jungle snaked around her ankles, dragging her along the ground as she scrabbled in the dirt for something to hold onto. Then the vines were wrapping around her chest, squeezing tightly, until she could barely breathe and could feel her ribs aching at the tightness of the pressure.

 

            A torrent of fire raced towards her, burning through the vines and crumbling them to ash, and Kara coughed on the acrid smoke around her as she struggled out of the tangled remains around her chest, feeling warm hands helping her to her feet. Lena’s eyes were filled with concern and anger, and after a quick once over, she turned and clapped her hands together, sending out a shockwave that stripped the leaves from the trees and tore branches and plants up from the roots, along with four of the wizards gathered nearby. The only real threat to them now was Astra, and Kara hated to think of her as a threat, but there she was, with the remaining few thugs, and a wounded look ran across Kara’s face as she watched her aunt hold a hand out to her.

 

            Before she could even say no, although she would be lying if she said she wasn’t tempted, a hulking figure dropped down in front of her, and shot a beam of blue energy, so hot that it carved a trunk in two when Astra pulled her hand out of the way. Kal straightened up, with his back to Kara, and he was soon flanked by Lois and Thara. And then they were evenly matched, and Kara quickly cast a freezing spell at a witch coming towards her, watching as she stopped mid-step, her eyes wide with fear as a slow coating of ice overtook her body, giving her a glassy look.

 

            When it was down to four of them left, Kal turned around and ran for Lena, scooping her up without even pausing to ask, cutting her off from whatever spell she was attempting to do, and he shot off into the sky, knowing Kara would follow. She hated to leave Lois and Thara to face down her aunt and the others, but she knew she couldn’t leave Lena, and with bitter regret, she shot off after her cousin. They covered as much distance as they could, as tired as they already were, but Kal tired after too long carrying Lena, and they had to pause for a moment, crouching amongst the ferns while sweat ran down their faces and they caught their breath.

 

            “Why didn’t you tell me she was here?” Kara breathlessly asked.

 

            “I thought it would be better for you to think that she was dead, than to ruin the woman you thought she was,” Kal softly told her, an apologetic look in his blue eyes, “I’m sorry.”

 

            Kara swallowed the lump in her throat as she nodded, “what happened to her?”

 

            “She was banished when you were younger - just before I took you away. You probably remember that, but you don’t know why. Her and her husband, Non, were both banished for trying to kidnap you, when the truth cans out about who you were, so they could use you as a weapon. They went rogue when they were kicked out of the coven. They tried to come back once, for you, but they were caught and sent to Fort Rozz; it was her that told everyone who you were,” Kal explained. “Once Zod took over, he let her out, knowing she was one of the best military generals there, and together, they took out everyone else. They have different ideals though; she wants to exploit your powers, he wants you dead.”

 

            “So we heard,” Lena bitterly replied, looking sickly pale in the gloomy light that filtered down through the canopy above them.

 

            “Are you okay?” Kara hoarsely asked.

 

            The muscles in Lena’s jaw twitched, and she didn’t meet Kara’s gaze as she replied. “Fine.”

 

            “You both need to leave,” Kal told them.

 

            Letting out an exasperated sigh, Lena pursed her lips slightly, “well I was _trying_ to.”

 

            Ignoring her, Kara stared intently at her cousin, “we need more answers. Do you know where we can go from here?”

 

            “I have a friend, James Olsen, the one I told you about. He’s a Guardian in Metropolis, you should head there and find him. I trust him to protect you,,” Kal said.

 

            “No,” Lena firmly objected, “absolutely not.”

 

            Blinking in surprise, Kal shrugged slightly, “I’m not sure what else I can tell you. The only other coven with knowledge as old as ours is the Worldkiller one. They could possibly help you with the old Thorullian runes, but they’d just as easily tear you to pieces, and I’d stay away if I was you.”

 

            “We’ll go back to San Francisco and find our own way,” Lena said, “if we meet up with Alex and Maggie again, they can help us find other people who can help us.”

 

            “There aren’t any other people,” Kara sighed, “and I’d pick Metropolis over going to the Worldkiller coven.”

 

            “If we go to Metropolis then I can guarantee you, without a doubt, my mother will have us in her clutches within minutes. In case you’ve forgotten, that’s where the Thorul coven operates, and there’s more than ten of them. If we go there … well, you can go by yourself and pray to those Gods of yours.”

 

            Giving her a withering look, Kara sighed again, “fine. We’ll go back to San Francisco, and we’ll figure things out along the way. We’ll have nothing else to do for two weeks anyway.”

 

            Climbing to his feet and dusting himself off, Kara helped pull Lena to her feet, pulling two crystals out of his pocket and handing one off to Kara. “We can’t waste any time.”

 

            Within moments, they were flying over the jungle again, pushing themselves as hard as they could, angling towards the bay where they had docked, trying not to think about whether or not they were being followed. The crystal helped them get there quicker, and soon enough they were standing on the beach, kicking up the sand as they rushed over to the yacht, which Kara unglamoured with a flourish to reveal the white and wood boat, nestled in the sand. Lena let out a startled shout from behind them, and Kara whirled around, taking in the black dot high in the sky, knowing that it wasn’t a bird. Redoubling their pace, Kal helped boost Kara up onto the deck, quickly followed by Lena, but not before a dark shadow flew overhead and landed a dozen feet away, shrouded in a murky grey mist. Dark clouds gathered overhead too, the boat rocking slightly as it shifted on the sand, buffeted by strong winds that blew through the bay. The sail flapped in the breeze and trees bowed beneath the force of it, and Kara didn’t know whether it was Zod, Lena or Kal summoning the storm. All she knew was that they had to leave quickly, or they would be in danger at sea.

 

            Casting a spell to get the yacht ready to sail, Kara hurried around the deck, checking ropes while Lena hauled the anchor up with her magic. As soon it was up, Kara closed her eyes, feeling the tug of the sea and drawing it in, the waves rushing up the shore and rippling over the sand as it raised the yacht slightly. As the water rushed in, the boat lifted again and again, until they were bobbing with the rolling waves, and Lena had lightning flickering on her fingertips as she leant against the side of the yacht, her hair whipping around her face as large drops of water began splattering the deck. She was shouting to someone below - Kal, Kara assumed - but the wind stole the words from her mouth, and Kara couldn’t make out anything except the flashes of bright light that broke up the encroaching darkness that was brought on by the thick storm swirling above their heads. And then a bolt of lightning split the sky, striking the sand and spiderwebbing rivulets across the sand, which smoked slightly. The completely black eyes on Lena let Kara know that it was her who had summoned it, whether by accident or not, and it caught Zod’s attention as he summoned his own lightning. As a bolt of blue lightning struck the yacht, Astra landed with a wet thud, thrusting forwards and sending the yacht out to sea, just as Zod shot another bolt at it. The boat rocked dangerously, and as Kara’s head slammed onto the wooden deck, her mouth filling with the coppery taste of blood as she bit her tongue, she heard the sound of wood splintering.

 

            Blinking back black spots, she opened her eyes to see a white canvas stretching across her field of vision, and for a terrifying moment she wondered if she’d gone blind. Then she realised the mast had broken, and her eyes widened as the boat lurched, the heavy pole of wood slowly changing its trajectory as it crashed down, coming straight for Kara. And then Lena was there, on one knee, her shoulders hunched as she held the mast up with her magic, her hair and clothes plastered to her skin, and her teeth bared with the effort it took to keep the mast from collapsing onto the deck.

 

            “Move!” she shouted at Kara, who quickly scrambled across the slick deck, slipping in her haste.

 

            A moment later, Lena let go and dived out of the way, a strangled scream escaping from between clenched teeth as she lay with her leg caught beneath the heavy mast, which completely snapped with a loud splintering sound, before slowly rolling off the side of the yacht as a large wave rocked it again. Kara cursed as clung to the railing, watching Lena slide towards her as the deck tilted at an alarming angle, and she reached out to catch her, holding her closely as they lurched dangerously, making Kara’s stomach twist as she fought back a wave of sickness. As they floated out to sea, the yacht broke apart around them, with items in the cabin rolling down the deck and into the ocean, bobbing up and down in the waves as they drifted out of reach. Kara grasped at the threads of the wood binding the yacht together and fused them with magic, desperately trying to keep them afloat as pieces of the boat drifted away.

 

            By the time they had reached the fringes of the storm, the island was a small blip on the horizon, and Kara was curled up at the back of the yacht, with a shivering Lena cradled in her lap. They were both soaking wet and numb from the cold, helpless to do anything as they watched the boat break apart around them, leaving them floating on the back half of the yacht, with no mast or sails, a pile of wood in place of the cozy cabin, and a useless steering wheel and rudder. It was all Kara could do to keep the waves gently pushing them further out to sea.

 

            After what felt like hours, she shifted more upright, gently moving Lena into a stretched out position, taking in the swollen ankle, which was already bruising, and winced. “Let me take a look at your foot,” Kara softly told her.

 

            Lena’s face was ashen, a tight look on her face as she tried not to let her pain show, and she bit back a whimper of pain as Kara reached out and gently touched her foot. Eyes turning white, Kara probed Lena’s ankle with her magic, wrapping it in a white haze as she felt the broken bones and bruised muscle, and gently began knitting it all back together. By the time she was done, she was exhausted, and it was all she could do to climb to her feet, unsteadily climbing over the debris on the deck as she made for the ruins of the cabin, her wisp drifting along behind her and casting a bluish light over everything. Water lapped over the edge of the broken yacht, and Kara shifted planks of wood aside as she splashed around in the water, salvaging what she could. By the time she was done, she had a damp blanket wrapped around Lena, a bright orange life jacket under her head as a pillow, and a spare piece of canvas that she’s hastily rigged to the railings and the broken door frame, constructing a rudimentary canopy to keep the sun off them. Kneeling beside Lena, who had already fallen into a fitful sleep by that point, Kara tenderly brushed her hair out of her face and then took her hand in her own, leaching as much pain from her as she could, gritting her teeth as she felt a dull ache spread throughout her own body. Once she was done, Kara carefully laid Lena’s hand back down beside her, before she pulled the blanket up under her chin, making sure she was tucked in properly, and gave her a guilty look, taking in the smooth, youthful look of Lena’s face as she fell into a peaceful sleep.

 

            “I’m sorry,” Kara quietly whispered, the words almost lost in the sound of the rolling waves and sharp wind. “I should’ve listened to you.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cas don’t interact

            By the time they both had the energy to take stock of their situation, they found that the yacht had been reduced to little more than a raft, bobbing up and down in the waves, held together by the spells that Kara had woven into the wood. Almost all of their belongings were gone, and for the first two days, they starved, sharing small sips of water from the canteen that Kara managed to salvage from one of their knapsacks, and lounging around underneath the canvas stretched across the deck, offering only a small amount of relief from the harsh sun overhead.

 

            But then they drifted further away from the island, under Kara’s best efforts to keep them on course, even though there was no way to properly steer them. She tried to control the water currents around them, but even with her massive well of power, controlling the flow of the ocean was a much bigger task than what she could manage. Perhaps she could manage it if Lena could help her, but Lena’s ankle was still slowly healing, and she’d expended a lot of energy fighting on the island, so she slept most of the first few days. Even Kara had to sleep too, but she was loathe to leave the raft to bob along as it wished, and it wasn’t until her eyes were burning with the effort of keeping them open, that she would actually burrow down beside Lena and steal a few hours of rest.

 

            By the third day, Lena was better rested, and both of them weak, having eaten nothing since the oats with wild berries that Lois had made for them on the island. They didn’t even have the energy to argue about where they were going once they reached San Francisco, or for Lena to be mad and Kara to apologise once again. It wasn’t until the last mouthful of metallic water dribbled out of the canvas that they knew they had to do something, or they were going to be in trouble for the next week and a half - not that they’d survive that long. Kara had taken it upon herself to solve the problem, and Lena huddled in the shade, watching as Kara muttered over the canteen full of briny water, trying her best to remove the salt from it, to no avail.

 

            “Can’t you just transmute it into plain water?” Lena croaked, licking her cracked lips, her tongue feeling thick in her mouth.

 

            Kara stamped down a flicker of irritation at Lena’s questions, knowing that it was just the dehydration and heat, and definitely the lack of food, and being cranky wouldn’t make for a more pleasant boat ride. Things were already tense between them from their disagreement before, but neither of them had had the time to bring it up and confront the issue lingering in the air. Biting back a sharp retort, Kara shook her head. “No. Magically speaking, water is a pure substance, so it would take more strength than I have to transmute it. If I’d eaten, or wasn’t so tired, then yeah, I could do it. Right now though … not a chance,” Kara hoarsely explained.

 

            Chewing her bottom lip, with a thoughtful look on her face, Lena shrugged slightly, “couldn’t you just make some ice? I’ve seen you freeze someone in place. We could just wait for the ice to melt.”

 

            Sighing, Kara grimaced, “the only thing I have to hold water in is the canteen, and I guess I could try freezing it, but it might be more hassle than it’s worth.”

 

            “Well it’s better than dying of thirst,” Lena muttered.

 

            “Well if we don’t die of thirst, we’re going to starve to death,” Kara curtly replied, emptying the canteen of water back into the roiling waves, and setting about blowing a thin stream of freezing cold air into the canteen, coating the inside in ice. Luckily, with the humidity of Hawaii still on their heels, the ice wouldn’t take long to melt, and the wispy white clouds on the horizon spoke of rain in the future anyway. Kara just hoped they made it that far.

 

            Focusing on her task of getting them some water, she cast Lena only the briefest glance, watching her crouch down on the edge of the raft and dip her fingers into the cool water. It was five minutes of Kara carefully making ice form inside the canteen, with a thin stream of cold air, before Lena let out a startled shout, scaring Aithusa, who flapped around, and Kara jumped so much that she almost fell over the other side of the raft, watching as something flopped along the deck.

 

            “Is that a _fish?”_ she exclaimed, looking at the silvery grey scales as Lena lunged at it, her fingertips dancing with black sparks.

 

            “Yes,” Lena replied, holding the still fish in her hands.

 

            Kara didn’t say anything else, knowing that the fish was dead, and that it was now their dinner. It wasn’t like she didn’t normally eat fish anyway, but usually she didn’t have to see the fish before it was on her plate, and she realised that Lena had never had that luxury since leaving home. Everything she ate was gotten by her own hands, whether it be catching, stealing or foraging, and Kara tried to block out the sight of her with her switchblade, carefully gutting the fish over the side of the boat. And soon there was another one, neatly laid out beside the other one, and Lena was contemplating how to cook them, as Kara triumphantly held up the canteen, brimming with cold water.

 

            “Here,” Kara immediately said, crossing the swaying deck to hand it to Lena, smelling the coppery scent of blood, which admittedly, wasn’t much different to the metallic taste that magic left in the air. Looking up at her, Lena took the canteen and took a small sip, before handing it back to Kara, who gently pushed her hand away. “No, drink the rest of it. I can get us more.”

 

            Lena gave her a grateful look and quickly drained the whole thing, before handing it back to Kara with a muttered thank you, and turning her attention back to the two fish. Kara went back to the painstaking task of creating ice, unable to even wait until it had all melted before she drank it, her dry throat craving the cool sweetness of the fresh water, and she felt some of her crabbiness and the dull pounding in her head, that had been so constant she hadn’t even realised it was there, fade, feeling better than she had in days. With the relief of having water, and soon some food, Kara’s thoughts turned to Astra, having nothing else to worry about for the time being now as she watched the ice melt in the cool metal container clutched in her hands like a lifeline. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she took a small sip of water, hoping to chase away the bitter taste in her mouth that came from the knowledge that her aunt had never been the woman Kara had thought she was. She’d saved them at the end though, but Kara assumed that it was part of her ploy to keep them alive and use them, and she feared what she’d do to Kal, who was of no use to them.

 

            The smell of something cooking reached Kara’s nose, and she shook herself out of her thoughts long enough to watch as Lena held the fish in her hands, a small crease between her eyebrows as the fish sizzled slightly. Her hands were flickering with the barest hint of black flames, and Kara bit back a smile at the look on concentration on Lena’s face as she tried not to char the fish too much. When she was done, she gave Kara a triumphant look, clearly proud of herself for managing to catch and cook the fish with her magic, and even Kara felt a small flicker of pride at Lena’s small control over her magic, focusing on that rather than the fact that they were both so worn out that she doubted Lena could’ve burned the raft down to ashes if she’d tried.

 

            “Here,” Lena murmured, finding a plank of wood from the debris cluttering the far end of the yacht, and sliding the fish onto it before passing it to Kara.

 

            She cooked her own then, while Kara picked at the pieces of meat clinging to the bones, so hungry that she barely spared the time to make sure that she wasn’t swallowing tiny bones along with it. Side by side, they both wolfed down their food, grateful at the big size of the catches as they picked the bones clean, watching the sky turn orange, and then pink. There was nothing around them for miles and miles, just an endless deep blue of rolling waves, and the water flowed orange as it reflected the sky, and as Kara settled back on her elbows, she couldn’t help but find it somewhat peaceful. The rocking of the boat and the sound of the waves was soothing to her, and as bad as their predicament was, the view was incredible, and with the knowledge that no one could reach them for a short while, Kara stretched out on the yacht and relaxed, watching the sun sink lower and bathe the sky in an inky darkness.

 

            Lena shifted slightly beside her, and a small splash let her know that she’d dumped the rest of her dinner into the sea, before she settled down beside Kara, curled up in a little ball. The silence was tense for a few minutes, with neither of them having anything to distract themselves with, and it became so unbearable that Kara couldn’t help but blurt out an apology. “I’m sorry.”

 

            “You’re sorry?” Lena dully replied, sounding tired and weary of the thought of them arguing.

 

            “Yes,” Kara quietly replied, “I should’ve trusted your gut feeling, especially because you’re a Seer. I should’ve trusted _you.”_

 

            Lena let out a quiet laugh, and Kara turned to look at her, taking in her pale skin washed white by the moonlight, and her dark accusing eyes. “Yes, you should’ve.”

 

            “And I’m sorry for what I said. I didn’t mean it, I was just angry at you because I thought you were jealous, and spoiling my fun because of it. I’d never hoped to have any family left after Kal-El, and my aunt … Astra and I were always close. I didn’t think she’d-“

 

            “I’m sorry,” Lena murmured, her eyes flicking upwards as she watched the stars come out in full force with the last rays of sunlight gone from the day. She shivered slightly as a chill breeze swept past them, hugging her knees to her chest as it tossed her dark hair around her head. “I didn’t _want_ to be right. I wish that one of us could’ve had someone good left who loves us.”

 

            Kara’s heart ached a little for her aunt, but she had her adoptive mother and her sister, and she knew that they both loved her unconditionally and selflessly. She didn’t point that out to Lena, who had no one, even amongst her living family, but she knew she’d always have good people who loved her. And she cared about Lena too, and Kara wished she could tell her that she wouldn’t willingly leave her behind, no matter how much they fought, because they were a team now, but Lena wouldn’t take too kindly to someone caring about her; she’d been alone for too long.

 

            “We’ll just have to make do with each other,” Kara quietly laughed, “it’s not like we’re both popular within the covens. Hell, finding out I had a second friend alive was exciting.”

 

            “Sorry I didn’t trust her,” Lena murmured, “it was nothing personal, I just don’t trust anyone.” That was a lie in itself, because she trusted Kara, and it was personal because despite what Kara thought, Lena had been jealous. Kara might’ve just found out she had two friends in the form of Winn, in National City, and Thara, her miraculously alive childhood friend, but Lena had one. She only had Kara.

 

            Shrugging slightly, Kara gently sighed, “it’s okay. You were never friends with her. She’s always been honest though, and I missed her a lot when I left. I still thought I’d go back to everything being normal at that point, so I missed my friend and was a bit … curt with my sister. We didn’t get along for a while, but now, I’d do anything for her. I didn’t realise what it was like to have someone you care about come back to you, because I’d almost completely forgotten about Thara.”

 

            Lena was silent for a few moments, reaching for the canteen and taking a small sip of water. Her face was unreadable and Kara tilted her head to the side as she watched her put the canteen down and turn her face back up to the moon, almost as if she was trying to bathe in the moonlight, how most people bathed in the sunlight. She was still for so long that Kara thought the conversation had ended, but eventually Lena moved, her head turning towards Kara just a fraction, even though her eyes never turned from the sky. “I used to think about you, you know. My dad’s dead, my mother’s a bitch and my brother’s off the rails. I was alone in the woods, and I didn’t want to think about them, and I didn’t have anyone else. I hadn’t been allowed to make friends because I was always training, so I didn’t have anyone to miss. I used to think about you instead, and wonder what you’d be like. I’d heard rumours from the Krypton coven, I knew your name, but I’d wonder what type of person you’d be.”

 

            Kara bit back a smile, her gaze softening a little as she looked at Lena, “and did I live up to your expectations?”

 

            Letting out a quick laugh, Lena turned her accusing eyes onto Kara. “No. You’re stubborn and a bit too cocky. You’re too brave and willing to throw yourself into danger. You’re naïve too, about some things, and you don’t like to be wrong.”

 

            “Ah, well thanks for pointing out all my flaws,” Kara muttered, giving her a wry smile as she reached for the canteen and took a quick drink.

 

            “I never said they were flaws,” Lena corrected her, “I was just surprised that we have so much in common. But then there’s the parts of you that I did come up with in my mind. You’re always happy and optimistic, to my angry pessimism, and you have a white aura that’s full of that lightness inside of you.”

 

            “It almost sounds like you’re complimenting me,” Kara smiled.

 

            She watched as Lena’s lips quirked up slightly at the corners, and she shrugged, giving Kara a less accusing look. “Almost.”

 

            Settling back onto the deck, her arms folded beneath her head and her legs stretched out, Kara stared up at the stars, a slight smile on her face. “I used to wonder about you as well.”


	16. Chapter 16

            They had four days of smooth sailing before they ran into trouble again. Lena insisted that the storm wasn’t just a coincidence of the fact that they were well into autumn now, and as they headed towards San Francisco they were just getting the start of the storm that would hit the coast. Standing at the edge of the raft, clinging to the broken remains of the doorframe as if it was the mast, and she the lookout of the ship, Lena looked out at the grey horizon, a dark look in her eyes. Kara was standing beside her, shivering slightly as the cold spray of the sea hit her bare arms, and she wished she still had her jacket or jeans. If the grey sky had anything to say about it, she’d be wishing for warm clothes even more.

 

            “Can’t we just blow it aside?” Kara asked. She was no weather witch, but she knew how to control the elements, and with the help of Lena’s magic surely they could brush the clouds aside before the storm hit. “We’ll be strong enough together.”

 

            “It’s not … natural,” Lena hesitantly said, her eyebrows drawn down low over her brooding eyes. “I can taste magic on the wind. Someone’s trying to stop us from reaching the coast.”

 

            Kara paused for a moment, knowing that she should trust Lena on this, and swallowed the lump in her throat. “Daxamite Hunters?”

 

            What she didn’t say was that if they were still waiting for them in San Francisco, then where were Alex and Maggie. Her sister and the Bounty Hunter were supposed to be leading them away and keeping them occupied, but if someone still had it out for them, who else could it be but the Daxamite’s who had been on their tails from the very beginning? Kara wasn’t naïve enough to think that other people wouldn’t bear her ill will - not if they knew who she was - but she didn’t know who else would know, or would know where she was.

 

            “Perhaps,” Lena shrugged, shivering as a gust of cold wind blew past them and they tilted as they rode up the side of a wave. Kara latched onto Lena’s arm, watching her runes flare up white, and braced herself as they rocked and lurched forward, holding on tightly as water splashed up, speckling their skin with more water drops. After days at sea, their skin had a sheen of dried salt, and their tangled hair was crusted with it, and both of them had long since tried cleaning their weather stained clothes. 

 

            The wind had picked up during the night, and Kara, who was navigating, grimly ruuealised that they’d truly left the last of summer behind them in Hawaii. A bit of bad weather was to be expected, but the dark clouds brewing all along the eastern horizon spoke of more than some wind and light rain. With the state of the yacht, which was now little more than a raft and wouldn’t have been able to float if it wasn’t for magic, they weren’t very optimistic that they’d be able to brave anything stronger than a gust of wind or waves any bigger than they currently were. The water was growing choppier though, the roiling grey waves getting bigger with each one they crested, and Kara had spent the morning reinforcing all of her spells, giving them the best chance she could. Without a mast, they couldn’t even steer, and they were sitting ducks, in the middle of nowhere, with not even a sliver of land visible to them for at least another week.

 

            “It could be the Gods,” Kara quietly mused, looking at the sky, which was growing darker by the minute, despite the earliness of the day. At the scoff from Lena, she gave her an exasperated look. “Just because _you_ don’t believe in them, it doesn’t mean you should belittle someone else’s beliefs.”

 

            Sighing, Lena turned to look at her and gave her an amused look, “fine, which Gods have you pissed off then?”

 

            _“Me?”_ Kara spluttered.

 

            “Well it wasn’t me,” Lena indignantly replied, _“I_ don’t believe in them.”

 

            Rolling her eyes, Kara walked over to their makeshift shelter, the canvas sail taut and straining as the wind buffeted it, and she huddled under one of the blankets, holding it open for Lena when she walked over to join her. It wasn’t ideal, but they were both cold and sitting side by side as they shared the blanket offered them a little bit more warmth. They’d both stopped bickering over the past few days, taking it in turns to catch whatever fish they could, collect water and steer, falling into an easy routine. Kara still trained Lena whenever they had nothing to do, and they’d sit cross-legged across from each other while Kara watched her summon colourful wisps of smoke, transfigure a broken piece of wood from the yacht into a pack of playing cards, and Kara patiently taught her a few games she’d picked up from Alex. She grew better at controlling the elements too, and they’d rigged up a small campfire to cook their fish on, which Lena studiously slaved over, making it different heights, colours and temperatures. She’d also listened through the night, when the sky was dark and laden with stars, and they had nothing to do but lay on their backs and let the raft flow where it wanted to, with Kara trying to navigate by the stars. She told Lena about all the herbs she knew and their properties, which stars were which, and belonged in which constellation, she told her about battle spells that Alex had taught her, as well as defensive ones. There were so many areas of magic, and Lena even had some to offer to Kara as she finally started opening up about her past. Lena told her about blood magic and necromancy, black magic and sorcery, and Kara didn’t judge her for any of it, knowing that they’d been raised in two very different situations. Still, Kara hesitated when she replied, knowing how Lena felt about herself and her out of control magic.

 

            “I think perhaps we didn’t piss them off to be exact,” Kara slowly said, squinting as a large spray of water splashed up onto the planks, “I think we’re being played.”

 

            Teeth clenched to keep them from chattering as an icy gust of wind hit them, Lena glowered at the horizon. “Oh yeah? How exactly?”

 

            “Thara and Kal … well, we were all researching, and Thara obviously knew more because she joined the Religious Guild,” Kara started.

 

            “Mm, I’d hardly say someone who joined up with Zod and his thugs and then got scared and hid out in a volcano is really a member of the Religious Guild,” Lena muttered, sighing at the exasperated look on Kara’s face, “semantics, I guess. Please, continue.”

 

            _"_ Right, well, the place we’re going to was built by Rao and Cythonna, from what she could tell me of my runes. So wherever we need to go north, I’d say it’s a balance of both qualities of the Gods,” Kara explained, trembling slightly beside Lena. “Um, well, Rao is the God of fire and life, and Cythonna is the Goddess of ice and death. Like a ying and yang kind of thing, so they’re in perfect balance.”

 

            Waiting for her to get to the point, Lena gave her a pointed look, “so what’s this got to do with the storm?”

 

            Kara cleared her throat slightly, “well, you see, there’s been hundreds of Seekers, maybe even thousands.”

 

            “Yes, and they’re all dead.”

 

            “Right,” Kara agreed, “and death follows all of us, and people hunt us and we’re not exactly expecting a quiet life. I think maybe we’re the butt of a joke, because Rao keeps bringing us to life, and then Cythonna has us killed and taken to haunt her halls for eternity. I don’t think we’re supposed to survive this.”

 

            Lena blanched slightly, the muscles in her jaw tightening, and she wouldn’t look at Kara. Hesitating, Kara let her arm wind around Lena’s back, and gently touched her on the shoulder, hoping to give her some comfort, but Lena jumped as if she’d been shocked, visibly wincing at the contact. 

 

            “It’s okay, I won’t let anything happen to us if I have my say,” Kara said, giving her a shaky smile. Her bravado was fake and flimsy, and she knew it wouldn’t do much to reassure Lena, because she wasn’t even convincing herself.

 

            “So would you say they’re like the light and dark?” Lena quietly asked.

 

            “In some ways,” Kara agreed, “there’s also a legend about Rao creating his Flamebird and Cythonna her Nightwing. Thara believes that it’s an old title given to each of the Seekers, from what she got from the old tales. Light and dark, like our auras.”

 

            Letting out a sharp laugh, her eyes betraying her with a flicker of pain hidden in their impossibly green depths. “So I’m the Nightwing. Ice and Death. Great.”

 

            Hurrying to reassure her, Kara could barely get the words out without tripping over them, “no, no, it’s not literal, it’s just- it’s an old story. A fairytale. The nicknames come from the Gods’ creations, it’s not real.”

 

            “But that would mean the Gods aren’t real,” Lena countered, a wry smile on her face as she turned to look at Kara.

 

            Opening and closing her mouth, before ultimately falling quiet, Kara pressed her lips into a grim line, finding that she couldn’t disagree with Lena without contradicting her own words. Instead she sat beside her, drawing warmth and comfort from the presence of the witch beside her, watching as the storm grew, until it seemed to blot out the sky completely, plunging them into gloomy daylight, which made everything look like shadows. Neither of them spoke for a while, sitting in silence as the wallowed in misery, feeling damp, cold and hungry, but not wanting to complain when they knew the other felt exactly the same. 

 

            It was a long day, and the storm only seemed to grow, until the heavens opened, sending down torrents of rain that stung their skin, and waves that almost capsized them half a dozen times. They were drenched by the time night started to fall, which wasn’t much different after the dark grey sky that had stretched from horizon to horizon all day, and they were plunged into darkness, trying to stop the water from rippling towards where they sat huddled under their shelter. Aithusa was positively pissed off at the cold weather and the ceaseless rocking of the raft, and the only sound that split the splashing waves was the low whining coming from Kal-Ex as the wisp drifted around in dejected circles.

 

            Kara took first watch that night, sitting near the broken door frame so that she had something to hold onto, while she tried to focus her breathing and warm herself up from the inside out. Some time after midnight, the quiet rumbling of thunder started, quickly growing louder and louder, and Kara cast a worried glance over at Lena, hoping that it hadn’t woken her up. The next bolt of lightning that split the night illuminated the sleeping figure huddled underneath the thin blanket, and Kara turned back to watch the waves. She wouldn’t pretend that she wasn’t worried; the waves were massive, and only growing bigger, and if the storm didn’t blow past them soon, the remains of the yacht weren’t going to make it, and Kara and Lena would end up paddling to San Francisco on a plank of wood.

 

            Things were fine for the next few hours, despite the deafening thunder that seemed to shake the whole sky and the blue lightening that lit up the mountainous waves as they rolled towards them. Every time the darkness was lit up, Kara’s eyes widened in panic, questioning whether or not the next wave that hit them would be the one to tip them over. Eventually it was time for her to switch with Lena, and she climbed to her feet right as the raft crested another wave and they plunged down the other side of it. As water splashed up around her, Kara’s feet slipped and she let out a shout that was swallowed by a peal of thunder, falling overboard as she failed to latch onto the broken doorframe. Water surrounded her, freezing her to her core, finding its way up her nose and into her mouth, choking her as she tried to get her bearings. Swimming up, she hit her head on something hard, making black spots cover her vision as she tried to open her eyes underwater, and realised it was the underside of the raft. Kara scrambled for the jagged edge of splintered wood, trying to latch onto it before the raft was swept away and she was left stranded in the middle of the ocean. 

 

            Her head couldn’t break the surface though, and Kara’s lungs began to burn as she quickly ran out of oxygen, pounding on the underside of the wooden planks. And then she was free, her head suddenly breaking the surface of the water as she sucked in a grateful lungful of salty air, gasping and spluttering as she coughed. Then another wave washed over her, dragging her back down while she helplessly struggled against the tide. The next time her head broke the water, she could make out the dark outline of the raft, floating further and further out of reach, and Kara quickly tried to swim towards it, exhausted and desperate. Another wave hit her, tossing her around beneath the white surf, and her eyes stung as she opened them to try and orient herself, seeing nothing but white bubbles. The waves tossed her about, and every time she came up for air, she was pelted by fat raindrops and battered by another wave that filled her mouth and nose with more water. Eyes closing, she was filled with a leaden feeling, tiring quickly as she kicked herself towards what she hoped was the surface. 

 

            And then warm, strong arms were winding around her, and a sudden surge of brightness lit up the water, painting the inside of Kara’s eyelids red, and her eyes flew open in surprise. Dark hair swirling around her head, pale skin ghostly in the light stemming from Kara’s hand and her back, Lena looked at her with wide eyes filled with fear. Eyes fluttering closed again, Kara felt herself being pulled upwards, and all she could think was that now both of them were stranded in the sea. The weather was too bad for them to float, and they’d tire too quickly. Neither of them would last the hour. But Lena was still furiously kicking, towing Kara along with her, and it felt like forever before she became firmly aware of something hard beneath her cheek. Struggling to open her eyes as she violently shivered, Kara opened her mouth to say something and vomited up a mouthful of being seawater, coughing as she choked on it.

 

            Swearing, Lena rolled her over, and through slitted eyes, she could make out dark hair plastered to her skin, and feel the coldness of Lena’s hands as she slapped Kara’s cheek. “Come on, you need to cough it all up,” Lena muttered. 

 

            There was a wet rope tied around her waist, and she yanked it to give herself more slack as she moved up next to Kara’s head, bending over her. There was a warbled laugh off Kara as she choked on more water, the feeling of Lena’s soaked hair tickling her skin, which seemed funny to her in her semi-conscious state. More water trickled out of the corners of her mouth as she coughed, and then Lena was pressing her hands against Kara’s chest, muttering under her breath as her eyes turned completely black. Kara’s throat burned as a ribbon of water was drawn from her lungs and out of her mouth, leaving her coughing and gasping for air as her empty lungs filled with salty air. Lena let out a sigh of relief, and then she was pressing the canteen of water to Kara’s lips, pouring water into her mouth while Kara spluttered, dribbling it all down her chin as she tried to swallow it, chasing away the bring taste of the sea.

 

            A wave hit the boat, sending it lurching backwards as they rode up it, and Lena threw herself on top of Kara, clinging to her as they slid down the deck, to the back end where their shelter was. Aithusa fluttered her wings as she adjusted her grip on the rigging, and Kara wrapped her arms around Lena, both of them lighting up the dark like a beacon as they braved themselves as best as they could, waiting for the next onslaught. In her silent panic, Lena’s hands began to heat, and soon enough they were both steaming as her dark aura engulfed them both and Kara’s felt warmth seep back into her frozen bones. At some point, Lena managed to wrap the sodden blanket around them both to keep the rain off her back as she sheltered Kara, and neither of them moved for hours, laying wrapped up in each other’s arms, too afraid to move as the raft was tossed and turned around, and the storm raged on.

 

            All the while, Kara silently prayed, while Lena splayed one hand on the wooden planks, sending her magic into the raft to help reinforce it.

 

\---

 

            The storm raged on for over a week by Kara’s reckoning, giving them barely any sunlight to navigate by as they stayed huddled in the corner of their raft, which thanks to Lena’s wild magic, now looked like a floating forest. Her magic had seeped into the very essence of the wood, triggering the small part of the planks that had once been part of trees, until branches had sprung forth, along with a full canopy of green leaves. After a few days, Kara had found the strength to sing the branches into shape, forming sides of woven wood to keep out the water as best as she could, while the leaves provided an extra shelter overhead, slowly dripping rain into their little floating box, which was in constant need of being bailed out now that the water couldn’t just run off the edges.

 

            When they caught the first glimmer of blue on the horizon, breaking through the grey clouds, Kara couldn’t stop the cry of relief that fell from her lips as relief washed over them both. It was hours before they escaped the rain and were floating beneath a pale blue sky, not quite the periwinkle blue of summer, but more welcome than any cloudless sky they’d ever seen as they passed over the edges of the storm. It was still days of sailing before they reached land, and at the first pinpricks of light, almost mistaken for stars in the beginning until the yellow glow of them became strikingly different from the white blanket of dots above them, bloomed out of the darkness, and a city took shape. A few more hours of sailing and two weather stained witches, a restless bat, a blue ball of light and a boat of living trees docked in the harbour. 

 

            Climbing ashore, Kara’s legs felt wobbly beneath her, and the bleached wooden planks of the jetty felt like they were listing side to side as she helped pull Lena up after her, careful not to touch her with her bare skin now that they were back on the mainland. Aithusa took off into the night, the prospects of dry land and insects too good to pass up, and Kara ran a hand through her salt encrusted hair, glancing out at the gleaming city lights, filling her with a sense of relief but also wrongness.

 

            “The Golden Gate Bridge,” Kara slowly said, “where is it?”

 

            Lena looked at her, her eyes wide with surprise, “where are we?”

 

            Both of them turned around and walked along the docks, taking in the neon lights of the storefronts and bars, bait shops and seafood restaurants, trying to find out where they’d washed up. It wasn’t until the passed a souvenir shop that they realised where they were, and if the _I heart Metropolis_ shirts hanging inside didn’t give it away, the way the colour drained from Lena’s face would’ve.

 

            “Metropolis.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this one's so long, it just seemed pointless to split it

            “Shit. _Shit_. We need to go, right now,” Lena babbled, reaching out for Kara and flinching slightly when she realised she couldn’t touch her anymore. 

 

            “Hey, hold on,” Kara said, blocking her path with her hands held out, “we can’t leave on the raft. It’s practically falling apart, and I don’t know about you, but I’m not in a rush to go back out to sea.”

 

            Lena ground her teeth together, her lips pressed into a thin line and her dark eyebrows pulled down low over her angry eyes. There was fear in the depths of the too, and Kara knew that no matter what she said, Lena wouldn’t stay here. One way or another, they were leaving as soon as possible.

 

            “Do you know anyone here who can help get us out?” Kara asked.

 

            Hesitating slightly, Lena shrugged, a shadow of doubt briefly crossing her face. “There’s a few people. Only one I would trust to help us, and only at a very steep price,” Lena begrudgingly told her, “and I wouldn’t be too keen to enlist her help, because I actually don’t trust her at _all_.”

 

            Spreading her hands helplessly, Kara grimaced, giving her a weary look. “What other choice do we have? What will the price be? We don’t have anything valuable to offer.”

 

            “I’ll try and get in touch with her,” Lena grimly replied, “but first, we need something less conspicuous to wear. My mom won’t know we’re here, but I can assure you Thorul is a big coven, and they’ll be crawling around the place. They’ll spot me on sight.”

 

            “Time for you to do your thing,” Kara told her, nodding towards the brightly lit souvenir shop, and Lena groaned at the gaudy tourist merchandise cluttering the racks and shelves. 

 

            With a sigh, she was suddenly gone, and Kara slipped into the nearest alleyway, splashing through puddles of brown water and hiding behind a dumpster that reeked of seafood and rotting vegetables. Lena was back a few minutes later, a dark shadow running down the alleyway with her arms full of stuff, and she skittered to a stop at Kara’s sharp whistle. Her eyes were black, slowly receding back into the pupil, and she tossed a bottle of water to Kara with a small shrug, “I sweet talked the deli next door out of some food. I’m not sure how long it’ll take to sort this out, so we might as well eat.”

 

            Crouching down, Lena dropped a few packets of chips and some tuna sandwiches onto the ground, giving Kara an apologetic look at the choice of seafood and salt after weeks of nothing but that, but given the fact that their options were limited. Kara knew better than to object. Unbundling a pile of clothes, Lena shook out a large red t-shirt with I heart Metropolis written across it, along with a navy cap with the city’s name across it, and a pair of swimming shorts with surfboards on them. Lastly, a pair of flip flops two sizes too big clattered to the floor, and Lena gave her a quick shrug.

 

            Turning around, Kara quickly stripped off her old clothes, tossing them straight into the dumpster, and quickly changed into her new ones, tucking the big t-shirt into the shorts as she desperately thought about a hot shower. Pulling the cap down low over her salt encrusted curls, she turned around, watching as Lena shoved her feet into the flip flops, and tightly tied the drawstring on her too big swim shorts. “Sorry about the sizes, I didn’t really have time to waste checking,” Lena said, casting an amused look at Kara’s tucked in t-shirt.

 

            Rolling her eyes, Kara crouched down and tore open a sandwich, eating one half in three bites while she watched Lena walk over to a small puddle, kneeling down beside it. She let her dark aura seep into the water and hunched over it, her dark hair shielding her face from Kara, who watched her scry the person who was supposed to help them. Quietly, Lena spoke the name of the person who was supposed to help them, and Kara felt her stomach drop at the name.

 

            “Roulette.”

 

            Making a muffled sound of protest, Kara swallowed her mouthful so that she could speak. _“Roulette?_ As in _the_ Roulette? No. Absolutely not.”

 

            “You know her?” Lena asked, her eyebrows rising slightly in surprise.

 

            Pausing slightly, Kara shrugged, “well not personally, but the Battle Mages have been tracking her for years. Alex isn’t a very big fan, as you can guess. Everyone knows her reputation. I think last time she was in National City she scammed and cheated half of the magical community out of all their valuables.”

 

            “So we’re definitely talking about the right one then,” Lena muttered, “and I told you, she’s our only hope. I wouldn’t trust her as far as I can throw her, but she’ll keep her word for the right price.”

 

            “Fine,” Kara wearily agreed, knowing that Lena was right. She didn’t know anyone in Metropolis, except Kal-El’s friend, James, but it was late, and she didn’t know how to find him without announcing their presence to the whole community. Either they risked going back out to sea, and after being on dry land, neither of them were willing to go back out there, or they had to trust one of the most notorious Illusionists out there, and hope she wasn’t deceiving them.

 

            Taking Kara’s reluctant resignation as permission, Lena turned back to the puddle of water, letting more of her aura seep in, her eyes turning black as she concentrated on the water, almost as if she was in a trance. Kara knew the muddy brown water was less than ideal for scrying, which was usually done in special scrying discs or bowls of pure water, and she stayed quiet, letting Lena concentrate on making the connection. Clearly Lena was acquainted with Roulette, or else she wouldn’t be able to visualise the person she wanted to reach, and Kara warily wondered how they knew each other if Lena had spent years out in a dead forest in an abandoned shadow zone. It didn’t exactly incite hopefulness.

 

            “Well well, if it isn’t the less than prodigal daughter,” a drawling voice came from the puddle, and Kara’s head whipped around to try and catch a glimpse of the woman speaking.

 

            “Veronica,” Lena curtly greeted her, shocking Kara with the familiar and casual use of the woman’s name. She wasn’t even sure if Roulette’s real name was common knowledge, and realised that Lena was clearly more than just acquainted with her.

 

             _“Lena,”_ Roulette replied, and Kara didn’t like the silky sound of her voice. She didn’t trust her. _“I’ll admit, I’m a bit surprised. What can I do for you?”_

 

            A determined look on her face, Lena drew in a quick breath and let the words fall as fast as possible, not wanting to let Roulette have the satisfaction of Lena showing her worry. “I need your help getting out of the city.”

 

            It didn’t stop the other woman from gloating, and she let out a sharp laugh. _“My help? The great Lena Luthor needs my help? Well I’m honoured.”_

 

            “It has to be quick. Tonight. Two people,” Lena interrupted before she could gloat anymore. “Name your price. I’ll accept, whatever it is.”

 

            _“You sound desperate, Lena,”_ Roulette said, sounding amused, and less than sympathetic. _“Meet me at The Den as soon as you can. We’ll talk prices when you get here.”_

 

            Biting back a protest, the muscles in Lena’s jaw worked as she chewed on her words, reluctant to agree but knowing she had to. “Fine.”

 

            Drawing her aura back in, Lena climbed to her feet and accepted the unopened sandwich off Kara, tearing open the packet and pulling half out. She didn’t say a word as she slipped out of the other end of the alley, and Kara silently followed behind her, the bottles of water clamped under one arm, while she made her way through one of the packets of chips. They slipped through the city unseen, cloaking themselves in invisibility for as long as they could, but streetlights and neon signs still guttered as they walked past, their auras interrupting the electrical wiring of anything they passed by. Kara held onto the back of Lena’s t-shirt so that she could be inside her shield of invisibility, and she hurried along after Lena, their flip flops slapping on the concrete floor, sounding jarringly loud in empty streets and alleyways, and completely out of place on the busy streets. Kara whispered small charms to quieten their footsteps, as well as placing half a dozen charms around themselves so their skin wouldn’t be pierced by knives thrown at them, or wouldn’t be burnt. With each spell, she saw Lena shudder slightly as the ripple of magic washed over her, but she didn’t comment on Kara’s doings.

 

            It wasn’t too long before they reached the right building, according to Lena, and they paused, sharpening their senses to danger, before stepping through the small, inconspicuous doorway, with the name glowing above it in an elaborate work of witchlights. A metal staircase stretched out before them, and their footsteps rang out, echoing in the small space as they warily climbed up the never ending sets of steps. Eventually, they reached the top, slipping into a wide bar, lavishly decorated in leather, marble, glass and metal. Instead of walls, there were windows, giving a spectacular view of the sparkling, lit up city spread out before them, and Kara looked around as she walked in after Lena. The bar wasn’t full - it was only a Tuesday night - but there were still a dozen people in there, and Kara had to fight back the urge to let her aura blaze to life, and by the look of Lena’s white knuckles and clenched fists, she was struggling too. From the far side of the room, tucked away in a corner, a woman in a red dress rose from the leather sofa she’d been lounging on, the slit in her dress showing off the tattoo winding up her leg. Kara could see glimpses of it on her arm and shoulder too; it looked like a dragon or a snake. 

 

            “Gods, you’ve changed a lot since I last saw you,” the woman - Roulette, Kara realised, recognising her voice - drawled, drawing nearer. “All that Black was never stylish, but honey, this is a new low.”

 

            Lena bristled slightly, but didn’t reply, she just stubbornly jutted her chin forward, her arms crossed over the slogan on her shirt. Brown eyes slid over to Kara, and she felt the scrutiny of the woman’s gaze, as if she was reading her mind. Fighting back a rush of panic at the thought of it, Kara began to recite a mantra in Kryptonian, giving the woman nothing. To her surprise, a woman with blonde curly hair, who was sitting at the bar, dress in black leather and sipping a neon blue cocktail that was smoking slightly, let out a deep laugh. She spun around in her chair, elbows resting on the bar behind her as she clutched her drink in hand, staring straight at Lena with clever green eyes. 

 

            “Don’t worry, Kara Danvers, she’s not a mind reader,” the woman replied, cocking her blonde head to the side as she smirked, “or should I call you Kara Zor-El?”

 

            “Now now, Psi, what’ve I told you about invading the minds of my guests?” Roulette chided her.

 

            “A pet of yours?” Lena asked, arching an eyebrow.

 

            Roulette let out a sharp laugh, while Psi scowled at Lena, the glass in her hand frosting over slightly. “Don’t mind Gayle,” Roulette said, crossing over to the bar where the woman sat, “she’s just grumpy because I won’t let her mess with the clientele. Well, unless they start causing problems for me.”

 

            Lena and Kara stayed where they were, aware of numerous eyes on them, even if everyone pretended to mind their own business. Roulette made polite conversation for a few moments, before rapping her knuckles on the marble top of the bar to get the dark haired barmaid’s attention. 

 

            “Imra, how about drinks for my friends here,” Roulette said, “and one for me too.”

 

            Within moments Imra had three glasses on the bar, gesturing with her hand as she ordered different liquors to mix in a cocktail mixer. The rattling of ice cubes reached their ears as they watched the witch make their drinks with lazy flicks of her fingers, ending it by setting the surface of the three drinks on fire with a flourish. It was bright green, and Kara thought it looked almost poisonous as she plucked the drink out of the air as the witch floated it over to her. Nodding her thanks, Kara took a sip to be polite, trying not to grimace at the searing heat of the alcohol, laced with a bitter taste she attributed to the salt rimming the glass.

 

            “Now, how about we talk in private?” Roulette suggested, gesturing for Kara and Lena to follow after her, before casting a quick glance at the bar, almost as an afterthought. “Imra, do keep your girlfriend in check. Last time I left her alone out here she cost me thousands in repairs, and that conjurer still hasn't come back.”

 

            Without another word, Roulette swept past them, walking over to the wall and seeming to step straight through it. Kara blinked in surprise, before remembering that Roulette was an Illusionist, and had probably hidden the door to her private rooms to keep them secret. Lena slipped through the wall, and Kara was close behind, finding herself in a white hallway, the marble floor smooth beneath her feet and the witchlights almost blindingly bright after the dimness of the bar. They followed their host down the hallway, which wasn’t lined with any doors - as far as Kara could tell - before they rounded a corner, and then another, as they were led through a warren of identical blank hallways. Eventually, they came to a black door set off to the right of a dead end hallway, and with the press of her palm against the metal, it swung open, revealing a sparsely furnished office.

 

            “Have a seat,” Roulette told them, crossing over to one of the dark leather sofas set before a large desk. Lena and Kara both took a seat on the one across from her, and Kara took another sip of her drink to give herself something to do, while Lena’s eyes darted from side to side, noting the lack of exits. Watching them both with dark, intense eyes, Roulette slowly relaxed back into her seat, one arm slung over the back of the sofa. “So, you’re the other Seeker,” Roulette said, gesturing to Kara with her glass, a gleam in her eyes that made Kara second-guess their decision to come here.

 

            Giving her a quick nod, Kara tightened her grip around the stem of the glass, swallowing the lump in her throat. Her other hand subtly patted the place where she’d hidden Kal-Ex in her pocket, knowing he’d be a prize in a place like this. 

 

            Lena cleared her throat slightly, dragging Roulette’s attention to her. “As you can see, we need to leave quickly.”

 

            “Mm, right,” Roulette nodded, “trying to hide from your mom? I’m sure she’d _love_ to get her hands on you. For a steep price too.”

 

            “And we’d pay more to leave,” Lena stiffly replied.

 

            Waving away the edge in Lena’s tone, Roulette shifted slightly in her seat. “Of course. Right, I’ll need to know where you’re going.” At the shared look between the two witches across from her, Roulette smiled slightly, and eyebrow arched in amusement. “I can’t smuggle you out if you won’t tell me where to take you.”

 

            “San Francisco,” Kara replied, judging it to be a safe answer. That was just a stop on the way, with the hopes of finding Alex and Maggie waiting there for them. Roulette didn’t need to know where they were really going.

 

            “The bay? Interesting. Well, Imra is my go-to smuggler. She might be pretty, and make an excellent cocktail, but she could steal your watch and sell it back to you without you being none the wiser. She’s got a knack for making things appear and disappear, almost as if it was magic,” Roulette told them, a wry smile on her lips as she took a drink. Almost as if remembering their own, Kara and Lena mirrored her, taking small sips and finding themselves relaxing as the alcohol spread through them, making them feel warm and sleepy. “Then there’s Psi. Anyone who thinks blondes are stupid has clearly never crossed paths with her. If she’s in your head, you’d better hope you don’t have the wrong kind of thoughts, or she’ll have you under her thumb in a heartbeat. And of course, my illusions help tie our little team together.” Kara watched, enraptured by the little rose that was being woven into creation before her very eyes. Each blood red petal was perfect, and each thorn cane to a sharp point, catching the light. And then it was gone. “We don’t come cheap.”

 

            “Name your price,” Lena told her.

 

            Contemplating Lena’s reply, Roulette tapped her fingernails along her glass, and Kara saw that they were sharpened to points, painted a vivid red to match her lipstick and dress. She got the impression that whatever the price would be, they weren’t going to like it. “Hm, how about … we say a vial of blood - from each of you.”

 

            “Blood?” Kara blurted out before she could stop herself.

 

            “Think of it as insurance,” Roulette told her, giving her a cold smile, “motivation to never cross me.”

 

            Kara glanced at Lena, taking in her rigid posture and tense shoulders. They both knew about blood magic, and how blood in the wrong hands - especially powerful blood such as theirs - could spell danger for the person it belonged to. A feeling of uneasiness spread through Kara, and her mind slowly turned over the idea. As moments passed by, she found herself coming around to the idea, after all, what other choice did they have? And it seemed like Lena agreed as well.

 

            Jerkily nodding, Lena climbed to her feet, “deal.”

 

            “Excellent,” Roulette smiled, draining her glass and standing. Kara and Lena drained their own, and Kara licked her lips, grimacing at the salt coating them, and watched as Roulette made a door appear. “Then we’ll leave immediately.”

 

            They filed out after her, and Kara frowned as she looked to her left and saw that the end of the hallway wasn’t a dead end after all. It led them to another hallway, and Roulette turned right and walked straight through the wall, and Kara realised she’d disoriented them on purpose, bringing them back to where they’d come in, while making it seem like they were far away from it. She couldn’t quite put her finger on why they would’ve taken such a roundabout way, until she stepped through to the bar, following close behind Lena. 

 

            And then Lena stumbled slightly, and Kara reached out to steady her, watching as the glass slipped from Lena’s fingers and smashed on the marble floor. No one so much as flinched, and Kara frowned as Lena sagged again, trying to keep her upright. The drink wasn’t that strong, so she wasn’t drunk, and she wasn’t injured, so Kara couldn’t figure out why she was struggling to stay upright. The next time Lena sagged, Kara fumbled with her, too weak to hold her up, and slowly lowered Lena down to the floor, heavily collapsing to her knees beside her as her own legs started to buckle.

 

            “Kara,” Lena thickly replied, “the drink.”

 

            Glancing down at her own glass, Kara stared at it, her slow thoughts trying to piece everything together. Her own glass fell from her hand and rolled away, coming to a stop at the heeled foot peeking out from beneath the hem of a red dress. Looking up, Kara stared at Roulette with confusion, taking in the unimpressed look on her face.

 

            “You’re late,” she said, not looking up as the sound of heavy footsteps came from the doorway, “I had to keep them occupied.”

 

            “Nicely done,” a deep voice replied, and that’s when it hit Kara. Roulette had sold them out, and Kara knew the sound of that voice more than she would’ve liked to, and jerkily turned around to look at the pale face hidden beneath the white hood of his robes. The black veins were even more pronounced in the dimness of the room, and she could see the smile curling his lips. “Your payment will be delivered soon.”

 

            Nodding, Roulette looked back down at Lena, and Kara protectively tried to block her from sight, reaching out for the smaller witch. Lena was slowly blinking up at Roulette, a look of betrayal on her face as she struggled to make her tongue work. “Ronnie.”

 

            Stepping on her chest with one heeled foot, Roulette pressed down slightly, making Lena wince as she coughed. Kara tried to push herself to her feet, but two hands clamped down on her temples, and a foot pushed her in the back, until she was back on her knees. By the smell of leather, and the threat at her temples, she assumed it was Psi, and found herself frozen in place, slowly sinking down to the floor as whatever drug she’d been given started to kick in properly. Imra stood off to the side, a dish towel slung over one shoulder and a displeased look on her face as she stared at Mon-El.

 

            “Jeez, Veronica, you could’ve given me some warning that you were inviting _him_ here,” Imra bitingly said. 

 

            “It’s business, darling, he’ll be gone in a second,” Roulette soothingly replied, “this is a big job for us.” As if realising that Lena was still there, Roulette looked backed down, the spike of her heel digging into Lena’s chest. “Sorry, Lee, I made a few inquiries before you got here, and I got an offer I couldn’t refuse. You understand, right?”

 

            “Fuck you,” Lena said, her voice barely a sigh as she fought to stay conscious.

 

            Kara tried to use her magic to cast a spell, but nothing but feeble sparks trailed from her fingertips. Whatever they’d dosed them with had affected her magic too, and her hands hung limply by her side as she stared at Lena, watching as her eyelids starting fluttering closed. Soon enough, her own started to drool, and she was only dimly aware of rope being tightly wound around her wrists and ankles. By the time a group of Daxamite Hunters were carrying them both out, she was out cold.

 

\---

 

            Lena came to in the dimly lit confines of a tunnel. Witchlights floated above heads, and she could hear two men talking, their deep voices low rumbles of indistinguishable words as her foggy mind tried to focus. The back of Lena’s mind was nagging her, and the more she regained consciousness, and awareness of her surroundings - she was in the abandoned subway tunnels beneath the city, the familiar damp and oily smell familiar to her from when she’d walked through them, hidden from the normal world above - the more she realised that she knew the other voice. She knew Mon-El’s too, after numerous run-ins with him, but the other one was familiar in a different way, tugging at distant memories. When she was finally able to move a little, finding her wrists and ankles now bound with metal shackles, instead of the coarse rope that had left raw circles around them, she raised her head, blinking in surprise as she stared into the handsome face of the man before her. He crouched down, his warm brown eyes crinkling slightly at the corners, and if it wasn’t for the gag in her mouth, Lena was sure she would’ve shouted some curse at him. Flinching out of his touch as he reached out to touch her, Lena fell back against the shins of the wizard holding her in place, and in return, he kicked her forward again.

 

            “You’ll have your payment as soon as our coven leader is satisfied that you’ve delivered what you promised,” the man replied.

 

            “Of course,” Mon-El smoothly replied, “just don’t wait _too_ long. I don’t think my mother will be too happy about waiting for our share.”

 

            Lena was passed from one set of hands to another, exchanging covens, and squirmed in the arms of the burly wizard who threw her over his shoulder. A few muttered words and she was paralysed, catching a glimpse past the waist of the man as she dangled upside down, watching as Kara was given the same treatment.

 

            They were teleported from point to point through the dark tunnels, following the network of old tracks through the city, the air thick and stale from the lack of breeze flowing through them. When they came out into the night, a wave of relief washed over Lena as she breathed in the cool, damp air, goosebumps breaking out across her skin as a gentle breeze caressed her bare legs, her flip flops dangling precariously from her limp legs. She knew she shouldn’t feel relieved, because it would only get worse from here, but after the suffocating feeling of being in the claustrophobic tunnels, she allowed herself to be lulled into a false sense of security for a few moments, watching as the other witches and wizards materialised out of thin air. Closing her eyes so she didn’t have to see, she listened to the thud of footsteps as she was jolted along, heading towards their destination. Inside, she already knew where they were going. There were people who would pay ridiculous amounts for her and Kara - alive or dead - but there was one person who would pay anything for her, more than anyone else.

 

            It was five minutes before they reached a door, and Lena caught a glimpse of the black doors swinging open, before they stepped inside, feet echoing off the black marble floor, and she was deposited in front of a tall woman waiting in the middle of the foyer. Swaying slightly on her feet, Lena defiantly stared up at the dark haired woman, taking in the green eyes and the smirk, and had do resist the urge to shrink away from her - not that she would’ve got far. It had been eight years since she’d last seen her mother, and she looked no different. Her hair was still perfectly coiled into a bun at the nape of her neck, she still wore a long black robe, the hem brushing the floor and the stiff collar turned up, and Lena swallowed her fear as she felt all of the memories she’d tried to suppress float to the surface.

 

            “Well,” Lillian said, a slender eyebrow rising slightly, “you’ve led me on _quite_ a chase.”

 

            Kara was standing beside Lena, her blue eyes burning a hole into the side of her head, and Lena was trying her best to ignore her, not wanting Kara to see the fear in her eyes. Lifting her chin slightly, Lena grit her teeth to stop herself from trembling, staring her mom in the eyes as she waited for her to make the first move. The manacles were magical - that much Lena could tell - and the heavy weight of them inhibited her magic so she couldn’t summon so much as a tiny spark, and she knew she would have to let her mom make the first move, no matter how much she wanted to run. Behind her, she could feel the intense stare of Jack trained on her back, his warm brown eyes full of curiosity, and Lena couldn’t help but feel angry at him for staying at the coven and serving her mother, but that anger would have to wait for another time.

 

            As she stared straight ahead, Lillian stepped towards her and Lena involuntarily stiffened, willing herself to stand still as her mother started circling her, lifting a tangled lock of hair off of Lena’s shoulder, pulling at the cheap cotton t-shirt, and looking her up and down with disdain. She made a full circle, coming to a stop right in front of Lena, who was forced to crane her head back as she looked up at her, eyebrows drawn down low over her stormy green eyes, looking like a sullen child. 

 

            “You’ve changed,” Lillian mused, and when Lena didn’t reply, thanks to the gag in her mouth, her mom sighed, reaching out and yanking the damp cloth out of her daughter’s mouth. 

 

            Lena pressed her lips firmly together, not deigning to give her mom a reply. Lillian gave her a withering look and sighed, before her gaze slid over to Kara, and she purposefully walked over to her, her heels clicking on the marble floor as she swept past Lena and grabbed Kara by the chin, roughly jerking her head up. Lena had to hand it to Kara, because she didn’t flinch at all, she just calmly stared back at Lillian, a stubborn look on her face, despite the paleness of it. Her mother dropped her hand and gestured to the witches and wizards flanking them, and both of them were lifted again, and neither of the struggled, knowing that it was futile. It didn’t surprise her in the slightest that her mom had spent years trying to find her missing daughter, and Lena was willing to bet her life that the storm had been her mother’s doing. Except as Lena watched a wizard carry Kara over to a door that she knew led down to the cells below the sprawling building, her own wizard made for the grand staircase winding upstairs, and Lena realised that her mom had something different in store for her. 

 

            “Wait-”

 

            She didn’t get to say anything else, because with a flick of her wrist, Lillian silenced her, and Lena furiously began to struggle, despite the fact that she was still weak from the drug still in her system. She was given a rough shake, and then zapped by the man when she didn’t stop twisting and turning, and she bit back a yelp of pain, aiming a kick at his shin. He swore and stumbled slightly on a step, dropping Lena, who managed to land on her feet and shouldered him in the stomach, knocking him down the stairs. With a weary sigh, Lillian snapped her fingers again, and Lena was yanked into the air, almost as if an invisible hook was pulling her up. She listened to the sound of her mom’s heels clicking on each step as she ascended the staircase, until she was stood before Lena, just a few inches shorter as Lena dangled mid-air, and with a wave of her hand, the double doors at the top of the staircase creaked open, and Lena dropped, crumpling onto the hard steps on her knees. Two witches in emerald green robes rushed forward and hoisted her up by her arms, their fingers digging in hard enough to leave bruises as they dragged her the rest of the way.

 

            Through wide hallways of marble and priceless paintings and artefacts, each a familiar part of Lena’s childhood, they dragged her, her feet sliding on the floor, until she lost one flip flop and had to stumble along, the cold making her shiver in her shorts. Through the velvet drapes of one of the arched windows, Lena caught a glimpse of the Council Chambers, swallowing the lump in her throat as she looked at the towering building made out of white marble. That’s where she’d killed her own father, and the other coven members, and Lena felt slightly nauseous as she stared at the white stone, glowing faintly in the dark. The witches didn’t stop their relentless dragging though, and she was soon swept past it, down two hallways, up a flight of stairs, and then right and through another set of doors. In the middle of the room was a massive claw foot tub, steaming in the cool, tiled room, and Lena was unceremoniously pushed forward. As soon as she caught her balance, the chains around her wrists and ankles rattling, one of the witches yanked the cap off Lena’s head, and she whirled around with a fierce look in her eyes.

 

            “Your mother has given us instructions to make sure you’re bathed and prepared for her. You’re to be told that if you don’t behave and bathe yourself, we’ll be forced to do it for you. She said it’s up to you to decide,” one of the witches told her.

 

            Scoffing, Lena turned towards the bath, and there was no doubt in her mind that Lillian would follow through on her threats, as she always had, and Lena clenched her teeth, turning back to the witches. “You can go.”

 

            “Your mother-”

 

            “I don’t give a shit what my mother said. Either you go outside and let me have some privacy, or I’m not moving an inch,” Lena snapped.

 

            The witches shared a look, and the blonde one shrugged slightly, causing the other one to heavily sigh and roll her eyes. Giving Lena a wary look, she pursed her lips slightly. “Fine. But just so you know, there’s no way out, and you’re keeping the cuffs on so you can’t do magic.”

 

            Giving her a hard look, Lena waited until they both shuffled out, and began to rip her clothes off, finding it difficult to get them off with the cuffs on. Despite her fears about what her mother wanted with her, and her anger at being told what to do, the bath looked inviting, and Lena begrudgingly climbed into it. The hot water made all of her cuts sting, and she winced as she awkwardly fell into the bath, her chains rattling as she splashed it and tried to get comfortable. The water was a pearly colour and the faint smell of roses drifted off it, and Lena quickly ducked her head underwater. She knew she was filthy, and as much as she wanted to relax, she couldn’t stop thinking about Kara. Lena knew that she was safe for the most part, meaning her mom wouldn’t kill her, but she wasn’t sure if that would apply to Kara, because she wasn’t sure what Lillian was up to. Scrubbing herself clean with the soaps neatly arranged on the table beside the tub, Lena made sure to be quick, much to her digress - she hadn’t had a proper bath in years, and the closest she’d come to it was in the hot springs inside the volcano - wanting to find Kara, and a way for them to escape, as soon as possible.

 

            Climbing out of the bath, she reached for a fluffy white towel and managed to get it wrapped around herself. A black garment bag was hanging from a rack, and Lena assumed it was meant for her, and went to take a look, unzipping it to reveal a long black dress. Scoffing, she turned back to her pile of her clothes and changed back into them, tossing the towel onto the floor and walking over to the door. She was as clean as she was going to get, and impatient to find out what Lillian wanted from her, as well as tired and hungry. The latter could wait though, because first things first, she had to get out, which, as she tugged on the door handle, was going to be more of a problem than she first thought. 

 

            “Hey!” Lena banged on the door, “let me out.”

 

            The door flew inwards, knocking her over, and the two witches loomed above her, before the door was locked behind her again. Lifted to her feet, she was pulled over to the chair before the large vanity table, and pushed down onto it, held in place when she tried to stand again.

 

            “Your mother asked for you to be presentable,” the dark haired one informed her, and Lena scoffed, uncomfortably crossing her arms over her chest. 

 

            For the better part of the next hour, her face and hair was powdered and brushed and worked on by the two witches, until they were finally satisfied. Lena barely glimpsed at herself in the mirror, finding her long dark hair sleek and neatly pinned into a bun, and her eyes rimmed in black and her lips painted red. When one of the witches brought forward the dress, Lena scoffed again, and with the snap of the witches fingers, let out a sound of protest, finding herself wearing it. The back was open all the way down to her lower back, and Lena knew it was to purposely show off the runes down her spine, which even made the two witches pause, and she realised that was why her hair had been put up as well. Held still in place by the blonde witch, the other one walked around her in a circle, dusting her skin with golden glitter and spraying her with perfumes that made Lena want to sneeze, before she was finally deemed ready. What they didn’t notice was the switchblade hidden in Lena’s hand, which she’d plucked from the pocket of her shorts; no one had bothered to search them, because they couldn’t use their magic, and why would they have other weapons? Pushed forward slightly, she was poked and prodded back through a series of hallways, and she wasn’t sure which room they were heading towards, but Lena felt sure that they were taking her on a roundabout route, as if she didn’t remember every inch of the place. The headquarters for the Thorul coven were in a shadow zone in the middle of Metropolis, and she remembered everything about the hidden city of sprawling buildings because she’d replayed the memories a thousand times since leaving. She had rarely been allowed to leave their mansion for fun, but when she’d been taken outside of the walls, she had memorised everything, and when she’d been locked inside, she’d had nothing else to do but wander the hallways and try to escape her lessons. If they thought they could pull one over on her, they’d have to do better than that.

 

            Eventually they came to a stop before a pair of double doors, and Lena bit back a groan, realising where they’d brought her. She watched as the doors swung open, revealing a cavernous room, largely dominated by the long table that decorated the dining hall. It was filled with members of the Thorul coven who had come to talk to her mother, and they were milling around having quiet conversations amongst themselves as they waited their turn, but at Lena’s arrival, they all fell silent. At the far end of the room, her mother rose from the large wooden chair situated at the head of the table, a slow smile spreading across her face as she looked at her daughter. The hour was growing late, and Lena realised that they were all here for her benefit, hoping to catch a glimpse of her while they pretended that they were here to see the coven leader.

 

            “Leave us,” Lillian’s voice rang out, and at once, everyone started to vanish, but not before they gave Lena a curious look, watching as she confidently shuffled into the room, not wishing to show any sign of fear, or embarrassment as she was hindered by the cuffs around her ankles. Pulling out a chair at the end of the table, opposite to her mother, Lena lowered herself into it, and in a dizzying blur, she found herself sat at her mother’s right hand, at the other end of the table. 

 

            Scowling, Lena balled her hands into fists in her lap, her shoulders hunched over as she stared down at the gold plate on the table before her. Lillian didn’t say anything as she filled their wine glasses up with a deep red wine, and waved her hand, summoning forth a table laden with different dishes, before settling back into her seat and watching her daughter in silence. At the sight of all of the food, Lena’s stomach rumbled, and while she knew her mother would never poison her, she wouldn’t let herself be lulled into a false sense of security by a bath and a good meal. Instead they both sat in silence, and Lena could feel the discomfort growing with each second that passed by, knowing that it was a part of her mom’s game - she’d always done the same to her when she was younger, her piercing stare making Lena squirm beneath it, until she’d snap and lash out at the nearest thing.

 

            Eventually, when it was clear that Lena wasn’t going to say or do anything, Lillian sighed, taking a sip of wine and setting her glass down. “Well it looks like you’ve finally learned some patience.” When Lena didn’t reply, she pressed on. “I’ve spent a long time looking for you.”

 

            Biting back a sharp retort about how she didn’t want to be found, and her mother should’ve just left her alone, Lena stayed quiet once more. Lillian let out a quiet laugh, reaching forward to put a portion of thinly sliced beef onto her plate, and then Lena’s, a smile curling her lips as if she found the whole thing amusing. Hiding the switchblade beneath her thigh, so her mom didn’t get suspicious about her hands being beneath the table for so long, Lena crossed her arms over her chest, her bare arms prickling with goosebumps at the slight chill to the room.

 

            “Would you like some potatoes?” Lillian carried on, as if it was a nice family meal, and spooned some onto Lena’s plate anyway. “The Daxamite boy tells me you’ve been in National City - well, outside it. A dead shadow zone. Only you would think that was preferable to _this_.” She gestured around the lavishly decorated room, and Lena shivered slightly, thinking about everything she’d lost living here. It wasn’t a matter of money, it was a matter of what they did here.

 

            She’d half expected to come back to dozens of coven members waiting to burn her alive in answer to what Lex had done through the use of her magic, and even though she knew her mom would want her alive, she was still a bit wary about what Lillian wanted, and for the first time, she spoke. “What do you want with us?”

 

            Satisfied with the fact that her daughter was speaking now, Lillian sat back in her chair again, and Lena briefly met her eyes, seeing a flicker of curiosity in her mother’s eyes. She knew exactly who and what her mom was, but she’d been a child when she’d left, still a teenager, and she’d come back as a fully grown adult. Her mom had no idea who she was, and with a start, Lena realised that she didn’t know what she could do, or more specifically, what Lena couldn’t do. For all Lillian knew, Lena had spent the past eight years honing her magic into a deadly skill. She almost wanted to laugh at the fact that her mother was expecting an all-powerful witch to have returned to her, and instead, she was in for a big surprise when she found out that her daughter was practically as useless and unskilled as they day she’d run away. She hadn’t practiced magic at all since she’d left, and if it wasn’t for Kara’s careful instruction over the past three months, Lena would still be too frightened to light a candle with her magic.

 

            “I’ve brought you home,” Lillian curtly replied, picking up her knife and fork and cutting into the meat. “This is where you belong, beside me.”

 

            “I don’t want to be here,” Lena stiffly replied, “I left for a reason.”

 

            Sighing, Lillian gave her a withering look, “and that reason has been taken care of.”

 

            Lena stared at her mother for a few moments, taking in the smooth lines of her face, unbothered by the death of her husband or the fact that her son had gone rogue. She looked unbothered by the fact that there were people who had wanted Lena to answer for what Lex had done through her, and Lena didn’t want to know what her mom had done to silence those people; she already had a sneaking suspicion. “So what?” Lena asked, her temper flaring up, “we just pretend that nothing’s different.”

 

            “No,” Lillian evenly replied, but Lena could see the way the way her face tightened, “but I would like us to work together. There’s so much here that you could help me do.”

 

            “No,” Lena flatly replied.

 

            Blinking in surprise, Lillian arched an eyebrow, “no?”

 

            “I won’t be your puppet. I left to get away from you as much as them.”

 

            “You should rethink your answer,” Lillian quietly warned her, lifting her glass and taking a sip of wine, “or your friend might find herself in a grave instead of a cell. I was supposed to turn her over to the Daxamite's as payment for delivering you to me, but ... well, accidents _do_ happen.”

 

            Lena let out a sharp laugh, trying to hide the cold feeling that spread through her at her mom’s words. The way she talked about killing Kara so easily instilled fear in Lena, and she knew her mom had her right where she wanted her to be. “I wouldn’t be too quick to kill her,” Lena blurted out, hoping that the knowledge of who Kara was would help her think twice about hurting her.

 

            “Why? Because she’s the other Seeker?” Lillian laughed, “please. I don’t need her. If I wanted you to go and find whatever it is you’re looking for, I would’ve found her a long time ago and sent you on your way. No, the only thing I want from you is your magic.”

 

            “I won’t give it to you,” Lena stubbornly refused her.

 

            With a heavy sigh, Lillian picked up the sharp knife, polishing it off with her napkin, before she threw it at Lena, who flinched back in her seat, watching as the knife abruptly stopped a hairsbreadth from her skin. She looked down the edge of the knife, watching it slowly rotate, while the point of it hovered, waiting to cut her throat open at mother’s orders.

 

            “Do it,” Lena choked out, her eyes wide as she stared at her mother in surprise. 

 

            Lillian gave her a hard look, and the knife slowly floated back down onto the table, resting beside her plate of food. “You’ll do as you’re told,” Lillian softly told her, and despite her tone, there was no room left for arguments.

 

            Gripping the knife tucked underneath her leg, Lena pushed the chair back and leapt to her feet, holding the knife out. Her mother didn’t move an inch, picking up her knife and fork and neatly cutting a bite of meat as she looked at Lena with disinterest. If she was surprised that her daughter had managed to smuggle in a knife, she didn’t show it, and Lena grippe it tightly.

 

            “If you think you can hurt me with that, you greatly overestimate yourself,” Lillian replied in a clipped tone. “Sit down.”

 

            Letting out a quiet laugh, Lena flipped the knife and pressed it against her own throat, “I won’t hurt _you_ with it.”

 

            Sighing, Lillian kept her composure, but Lena saw the way her mouth tugged down slightly at the corners. She was growing tired of Lena’s games, and Lena knew that she would’ve torn the knife straight out of her hand, if she wasn’t afraid that she would accidentally hurt her daughter in the process. “Lena, I’m losing my patience,” Lillian warned her, “you won’t hurt yourself - you’ve never had the stomach for hurting people - so sit down, and behave yourself.”

 

            “Won’t I?” Lena asked, her eyes glinting dangerously. Her stubborness flaring up, she pressed the knife harder against her throat, slightly pricking herself with the point. She ignored the sting of it and felt a warm bead of blood trickle down her neck - proof that she wasn’t making idle threats. 

 

            At the sight of the blood, looking almost black against Lena’s pallid skin, Lillian leapt to her feet, her hand outstretched as she stopped the knife, her magic fighting against Lena’s strength. Smiling slightly, Lena knew that she had found the one thing she could use to blackmail her mom into doing what she wanted, but she knew her mom wouldn’t give it to her and let her leave. Both of them faced each other, the knife held still as they waited to see who would give in first. 

 

            In the end, Lena spoke first, knowing that she had to seize the opportunity, before her mother’s reinforcements arrived. “You’re going to free her from the dungeons, and you’re going to let us walk out of here, unharmed,” she ordered her mom, sounding braver than she felt.

 

            “Why shouldn’t I just let you die? If I can’t have you either way, why should I let you get what you want?” Lillian asked.

 

            “Because there’s still the chance that one day, when this is all over and we’ve found what we’re supposed to be looking for, that I’ll come back. There’s still the chance that I’ll have nothing left, except you. This place,” Lena bitterly replied.

 

            Hesitating, Lillian gave her an uncertain look, “you’ve seen something, or is it about-”

 

            “No,” Lena firmly told her, “and it’s not a promise. But you’d rather me come back to you broken and begging than fight you every step of the way. As long as I _do_ come back.”

 

            “But you might not come back at all,” Lillian pointed out.

 

            “I might not,” Lena agreed, “it depends on whether we both find what we’re looking for and make it back alive.”

 

            With a curt nod, Lillian lowered her hand, and Lena lowered the knife too, swallowing thickly as she waited to see whether her mom was being serious or trying to trick her. When Lillian didn’t make a move, Lena gestured to her with the knife, “you go first. And try anything and I’ll cut my femoral artery so fast that I’ll bleed out before you can find a Healer.”

 

            Stepping out from behind the table, Lillian slowly began to walk down the length of the room, each footstep echoing in the large space. Neither of them spoke as Lena followed her mother down the hall and out through the doors, which swung open as her mom approached them. The place was deserted as they walked through the cool hallways, dimly lit by witchlights, which made Lena tense as she waited for something to jump out of the shadows and attack her. She still didn’t trust her mom to let her leave with Kara, and she was tense as they walked over to the door Kara had disappeared through. As soon as the door opened, cold air washed over them, accompanied by the damp smell of the tunnels, and Lillian summoned a light, which bathed the stone walls in a green light. Descending the staircase slowly, they made their way down through the levels beneath the mansion, where their prisoners were kept, to be judged by Lillian, as coven leader, as well as the other council members, and Lena could hear the quiet sounds of other sorcerers and warlocks pacing or crying, calling out at the sound of Lillian’s heels clicking on the flagstones.

 

            There were two guards situated outside Kara’s cell door, and Lillian dismissed them both with a nod as she approached, both of them immediately obeying, giving Lena puzzled looks as they brushed past her. Lillian turned to look at Lena, bathing her face in an eerie green light, and took in the anxious look on Lena’s face as she tried to peer into the dark cell. The iron bars were rusted and inscribed with runes for binding and trapping, and Lena knew Kara would never have been able to break herself out, and she just hoped that she’d be able to get her out now.

 

            “Open it,” Lena quietly commanded her mother, and Lillian sighed, charming the gate to unlock. Hesitating before stepping inside, Lena gestured for Lillian to go in ahead of her, just in case she got any ideas about locking Lena inside with Kara, before following her inside. A slumped figure was sitting in the corner of the cell, head lolling against the wall, and chained hands and feet arranged so that she was hugging her knees to her chest, and Lena quickly crossed over to her, careful not to put her back to Lillian. “Undo her cuffs,” Lena told her mom.

 

            “You could always change your mind,” Lillian told her, “it’s not too late. We could do great things together, Lena. I could be your mother again. We could unite all of the covens. You could be coven leader one day. You don’t need to finish this; you’re powerful enough as it is.”

 

            “Undo them,” Lena hoarsely repeated, and with a gentle sigh, Lillian snapped her fingers, and the manacles undid themselves, clattering to the ground and waking Kara with a start. 

 

            With Lillian’s proximity, she was illuminated by the witchlight, and Lena let out a small sigh of relief as Kara’s eyes flew open, and she uncurled herself from her ball. “Lena?” she croaked, looking owlish as her wide eyes blinked away the remnants of sleep, replaced with surprise, mostly due to Lena's appearance. “You look nice.”

 

            Swallowing a strangled laugh, Lena pulled her to her feet, her movements brusque as she rushed to get them out of there as soon as possible. “I know.”

 

            “Your neck,” Kara whispered, reaching out to gently brush her fingers against the angry red line and trickle of blood, the small cell suddenly full of light as their runes lit up.

 

            “It’s nothing,” Lena dismissed her, taking her hand and turning around, standing protectively in front of her as Lillian exhaled sharply, her eyes trained onto Kara’s glowing hand, and she glanced up at them, her eyes wide and filled with awe. “We’re leaving now,” Lena coldly told her, “and if you try and stop us, I’ll follow through on my threat.”

 

            “I’ll let you go,” Lillian readily agreed, “but you’d better be sure you’re ready to handle the consequences.”

 

            Lena didn’t ask what they were, she just pulled Kara along after her, making her go first so that it was Lena’s back to Lillian’s, even though she knew her mom wouldn’t kill Kara if she wanted to keep Lena alive. Their lives were bound to each other now, in blood, and Lillian knew better than to tempt her daughter, whose stubborn nature seemed to have only grown in her absence. The three of them made for an unlikely trio as they wound their way back up through the underground levels of Lillian’s mansion, hurrying down damp tunnels in silence, their breathing sounding loud and close and misting before them in the cold.

 

            They reached the massive marble foyer again soon enough, and Lillian opened the front doors for them, and Lena shuffled along with her chains rattling as she held Kara’s hand, neither of them stopping to see if Lillian was baiting them. Either they left now, or they might find themselves trapped at the edge of freedom for hesitating too long. As they reached the threshold of the door though, another voice rang out, and Lena glanced over her shoulder, pausing on the top step. Jack.

 

            “You summoned me, ma’am?” he asked Lillian, his hands clasped behind his back, looking sleek and elegant in a tailored black suit. He turned at the sight of the open doors, and his dark eyes widened in surprise at the sight of Lena leaving, and that look of mild surprise stayed frozen on his face as Lillian thrust forward and ripped his heart out of his chest. Crumpling to his knees in the middle of the foyer, he pitched forward, landing face first on the marble floor, where a pool of blood began to form beneath his dead body.

 

            It had all happened so fast that Lena barely had time to register what had happened, before her mom was giving her a small smile, an eyebrow arched expectantly. “His blood is on your hands now.”

 

            Before she could rush back inside, the doors shut in her face, and Lena banged on them as she yelled for her mother to open them back up. Kara looked pale as she pulled Lena away, holding her tight while she silently struggled, until Kara had no choice but to whisk them away. The whole time, Lena kept seeing the way her mother had so casually killed him, and the look of smug satisfaction on her face. She knew how Jack had felt about Lena, and how Lena had cared for him in her own way - not quite as a friend, but as someone who had always been there to help her - and it was a low blow for her to kill him out of spite.

 

            They didn’t stop until they were miles out of the city limits, huddled up in a wooden shed in the sprawling backyard of a farm, and Kara grabbed an old tarp, wrapping it around Lena’s shoulders like it was a warm blanket, and pulling her into her arms. Lena’s lipstick was smudged across her face, her eyes slightly red from tears she’d blinked away instead of letting fall, and she was still wearing the thin heels and ridiculous dress. Kara shivered in her shorts and t-shirt, listening to the gentle patter of the rain that had started up outside as she gently rocked Lena, knowing that she must’ve known that man to have such a visceral reaction, but not understanding the extent to which she was mourning him. By the time the first rays of sunlight shone in through the cracks, they’d given up any pretence of sleeping, and Lena lay with her head in Kara’s lap, staring at the beams of light fanned out across the floor while she breathed in the earthy smell of the ground. Neither of them spoke of what happened since they’d entered Roulette’s bar, they just sat in silence, both of them too tired to even think about moving for the time being. Whenever things started to feel like they were moving forward, they seemed to take three steps backward and get knocked down. More than ever, Lena didn’t think they were going to make it - in fact, she knew it.  
  



	18. Chapter 18

            It had started pouring down with rain the further north they went, the leaves a variety of reds and oranges and the sky turning greyer the further they travelled. They barely spoke at all - only when necessary - and Kara didn’t know what to say. Lena led them, dragging herself onwards no matter how drained they were, and Kara could do nothing but follow after her, letting her grieve in silence. She didn’t ask questions, but it was obvious that Lena was mourning for the man that had been killed, but there was something else wrong too, and Kara didn’t quite know what it was. There had been something burdening Lena for a while, maybe even since they’d met, but she had no idea what it was, so she left it alone, letting the rain soak them through as they neared the fringes of San Francisco. 

 

            It was early hours in the morning, the sky still dark and the rain heavy, and Lena trampled ferns and fallen leaves as they wound through the dark trunks of trees. Neither of them had slept during the night, and Kara could barely keep her eyes open as she followed the dim outline of her partner, almost swallowed up by the clothes Lena had stolen off a clothesline. They had no food, and had only eaten what they could steal along the way, and Kara felt hollow inside, her limbs leaden as she kept going. She knew they couldn’t keep this pace up for much longer, and both of them needed to rest. The only one who seemed fine was Aithusa, who swooped overhead every so often, following along like a faithful pet, the blue light from Kal-Ex occasionally illuminating the underside of her wings as she brushed past Lena, her leathery wings gently skimming her cheeks.

 

            “Lena,” Kara croaked after another mile, her eyes burning as she tried to keep them open, and the thick sheepskin jacket soaking as she shivered in the too-big hiking boots they’d found on somebody’s back doorstep. If Lena heard her, she didn’t acknowledge the fact that she did, and Kara cleared her throat to try again, just in case. “Lena.”

 

            “What?” Lena snapped, abruptly stopping as she whirled around to face Kara. She had dark shadows beneath her eyes, which had taken on a haunted look, and her gaunt cheeks and long dark hair plastered to her face gave her a haggard look. 

 

            Shocked by the harsh tone, Kara paused for a moment, fumbling for the words, before she gave her a begging look. “We need to rest,” Kara wearily told her, “we haven’t slept all night.”

 

            Lena didn’t say anything, she just turned around and carried on brushing past bushes and stepping over twigs, quietly graceful even in her irritable mood. Rushing after her, Kara reached out to grab her sleeve, “where are you going?”

 

            “You can rest if you want to,” Lena hoarsely told her, “you can do whatever you want. _I’m_ going home.”

 

            “What?” Kara numbly asked, blinking in surprise, “but we’re here - we’re in San Francisco. Alex and Maggie will be here somewhere.”

 

            Grabbing her by the sodden collar of her jacket, Lena gave her a gentle shake, “no, they won’t. If they were looking for us, they would’ve found us by now. They’re gone, or they’re dead, and you should just go home. Just _leave me alone.”_

 

            Staring down at her with wide eyes, Kara sharply exhaled, pushing Lena’s hands off her. “You’re upset. I _know_ you’re upset. That man - who was he? You cared about him. I’m sorry.”

 

            “Go away, Kara,” Lena muttered, turning back around, “none of this would’ve happened if you’d just left me alone.”

 

            Wincing as if she’d been slapped, Kara gave her a wounded look, “you’re blaming _me_ for this? If I’d let you go back in, your mom might not have let you back out.”

 

            “It’s not about my mom! It’s about you dragging me into this mess. You _knew_ I didn’t want to go to Metropolis. You knew I didn’t want to go to Hawaii. You knew I didn’t want to come on this trip with you. I didn’t- I didn’t want _any_ of this! I didn’t ask for this,” Lena snapped, turning back around, her cheeks pink and her eyes wide with anger.

 

            Kara paused for a moment, an uncertain look on her face as she stared at Lena. There was something off about her - something in the slightly unfocused look in her eyes, and the way she swayed gently on her feet - and it didn’t sit right with Kara. She took a small step towards Lena, watching her stumble backwards, and paused. The back of her neck prickled and Kara turned around, Kal-Ex moving with her, casting a blue light over everything, the shadows moving with the light as she looked out for any signs of movement. Waiting a few moments, Kara listened, hearing nothing but the steady patter of the rain dripping off leaves and branches and falling to the leaf strewn floor. She couldn’t hear anything, and as she turned back to face Lena, she saw her eyes widen, and whirled back around. The first thing she saw was a white hood, and her heart skipped a beat, before she realised it wasn’t a white robe, it was a pale grey cloak. 

 

            “Kara,” a deep, unfamiliar voice rumbled, and Kara let her magic flow down into the earth, feeling all the minerals and rocks, the tree roots and the animals burrowing down deep in their holes. 

 

            “Who are you?” she asked, trying to stop her voice from shaking as she looked at the dark shadow cloaked in grey.

 

            The earth trembled beneath her feet as the man took a step towards her, a silent, unbidden warning for him to not take another step closer, and he held his hands up in surrender, his voice calm and slow as he spoke. “My name’s James Olsen. I’m a friend of your cousin’s.”

 

            Kara paused, some of the tension fading from her shoulders as she looked at the cloak and realised it was the cloak of a Guardian, fashioned at the shoulder by what she was sure was their pin. She still felt a little wary though, unsure of whether he was telling the truth or how he had found them, and didn’t let her guard down completely, keeping her magic right at her fingertips.

 

            “How do I know it’s really you?” Kara suspiciously asked, narrowing her eyes slightly. 

 

            The sound of leaves rustling behind her caught her attention, and Kara turned around just in time to stop Lena from crashing into her as she skittered backwards, backing away from someone else. As Kara stabilised her, she looked past Lena, blinking in surprise at the sight of a witch with dark hair cut above her shoulders, wearing the robes of a Battle Mage. 

 

            “Because I brought him,” Lucy said, a staff held loosely at her side as she gave Kara a hesitant smile.

 

          _“Lucy?”_ Kara asked, disbelief colouring her tone, “what’re _you_ doing here?” 

 

            She didn’t know the witch that well, having only seen her in association to Alex, but she trusted her. She’d been there at Eliza’s when the Daxamite Hunters had shown up, and she’d given Kara and Lena the chance to escape, and she trusted her without a doubt. If she said this was the Guardian her cousin was talking about, then it was him, and at this point, Kara was grateful for any help she could get. Apparently Lena wasn’t though, because she was smoking slightly, the leaves beneath her feet turning to ash where she stood, the ones further away glowing slightly with smoldering embers as the heat radiating off her slowly spread outwards.

 

            “Lena,” Kara murmured, reaching out to touch her shoulder, feeling the warmth of her even through the sodden layers of clothes. “It’s okay, they’re here to help.”

 

            Turning slowly, Lena tilted her head to the side, wisps of smoke curling upwards from her feet, and Kara gave her a look of concern. Her skin was damp and her cheeks flushed, and in the dim light, Kara saw the odd look in her eyes and stepped forward at the exact moment that Lena crumpled, her eyes turning black as she collapsed. Catching her before she hit the ground, Kara gently lowered her to the ground, cradling her in her lap as she reached out to gently touch her cheek. The forest was briefly lit up at their touch, but it died away quickly when Kara pulled her hand back, hissing at the searing pain coming from Lena’s flushed cheek. Tenderly brushing Lena’s damp hair back off her sweaty forehead, Kara looked down at her with a worried look on her face, the corners of her mouth turning down as she frowned. Lucy and James both hurried over, crouching down beside Kara as they peered down at Lena.

 

            “What’s wrong with her?” James asked, his voice full of concern. “Poison? Internal bleeding? Power surge?”

 

            Reaching out again, Kara gently touched one of Lena’s rosy cheeks, grimacing at the warmth of it and looking up at James and Lucy in turn. “Fever. I think she’s sick.”

 

            “Sick?” Lucy echoed, her eyebrows drawn down low over worried eyes. 

 

            “Shit,” Kara muttered, “I need to take her somewhere safe. I need to help her.”

 

            James reached out and carefully scooped Lena up into his arms as he straightened up, quickly followed by Kara who protectively leant over Lena, making sure she was okay, her fingertips gently tracing the prominent curve of Lena’s cheekbone, down to her sharp jawline. Her face was smooth of any frown lines, making her look young like she did whenever she slept, but even in unconsciousness her face was drawn with pain. Lucy reached out and gently touched Kara on the shoulder to get her attention.

 

            “We can’t linger. I can heal her a little for you right now, and James can carry her, but we don’t have time to waste,” Lucy quietly but firmly told her.

 

            Giving her a wary look, Kara turned away from Lena, “where’s Alex? She sent you, didn’t she? Where is she?”

 

            Grimacing, Lucy gave her a pained look, “we don’t know. I got word from her a few weeks ago … she said they ran into some trouble with some Hunters. Daxamite ones. She said they were waiting for you to get back from Hawaii. That was the last I heard from her. Kal-El and my sister had already gotten in touch with James, and I met him in Metropolis and we came up to San Fran together to keep an eye out for you. I couldn’t find your sister, or the Bounty Hunter. We’ve been circling the area ever since.”

 

            “We washed up in Metropolis,” Kara replied, swallowing the lump of fear in her throat as she tried not to think about what had happened to Alex. 

 

            She was sure she would know if she was in danger; she would feel it if something was wrong with her sister - if she was hurt, or worse. Watching as Lucy’s aura lit up, Kara patiently waited for her to work her magic, bringing Lena’s temperature down to something more bearable, and pulling a bundle of herbs out of her pack. She quickly mixed a few in water, and Kara recognised the ingredients as plants for healing, and stood by while Lucy trickled the tincture into Lena’s mouth. She didn’t stir at all, but Lucy stepped back, seeming satisfied by her work, and Kara immediately took her spot, reaching out to press the back of her cold hand against Lena’s cheek, feeling the fever fade slightly. Still, it was heavily raining, and Kara’s next concern was that Lena would catch pneumonia, having already spent days walking in the rain with their soggy clothes and the cold nights spent outside.

 

            “Okay, we’ve lingered long enough,” James said, shifting Lena slightly in his arms as so he cradled her against his chest with one are, fumbling at his neck for something. He wore a metal chest plate beneath his cloak, the light from the wisp catching the protection runes etched into the metal, and the rain pinged off it as he pulled a blue crystal out from beneath it, almost looking like the little one around Lena’s neck.

 

            Lucy took Kara’s hand and then grabbed onto James as he went to summon some energy from the crystal to help them evanesce, but Kara wrenched her hand out of Lucy’s before he could manage it, causing them to exasperatedly sigh. Kara gave Lucy a betrayed look, crossing her arms over her chest and backing away as Lucy reached out for her again. “I can’t just _leave_ her!” Kara spluttered, brushing her wet hair out of her face, “she’s my sister! She might still be in the city. I can’t abandon her here.”

 

            “Kara,” Lucy gently replied, “I’m sorry, but we don’t have time for this right now. You just lit this whole place up when you touched her, and painted a target one everyone’s backs. They’re going to be drawn to us like a moth to a flame, and word’s spreading about how the two Seekers have banded together. We need to be gone, now, or we’re all dead. There’s a hefty price on yours and Lena’s heads, and you can bet your ass that every witch, wizard, warlock and sorcerer on this continent has it out for you.”

 

            “But-”

 

            “I’m going to find Alex!” Lucy exclaimed, a pleading look on her face, “she’s my partner. I’m going to find her. I know a guy in Louisiana who can help us out. That’s where we’re going. I’m not giving up, but we need to get you away from here, and I know you’ll be safe where he is too, so just … come with us. We’ll find out where Alex is, Lena can rest for a few days, and then we’ll go and get your sister and send her on her way with you.”

 

            Hesitating, Kara cast a quick look at Lena, unconscious with healing spells and tinctures trying to hold back the fever, and then back at Lucy, who was giving her an earnest look, her eyes begging Kara to trust her, and with a frustrated sigh, Kara knew she didn’t have a choice. They had nowhere to go in San Francisco, and Lena needed to rest, so the best they could hope for was that their trip to Louisiana paid off.

 

            “How long will it take us to get there?” Kara hoarsely asked, thinking about how long it had taken them to make it from Metropolis to San Francisco, which was in the same state. 

 

            James gave her a smile, holding up the blue crystal for her to see, “secret perks of being a Guardian. It’ll get us there soon enough.”

 

            Lucy reached out for Kara’s hand again, and this time she didn’t resist, reaching out with her other arm so that Aithusa could swoop in and attach herself to the underside of Kara’s sleeve. When they were all touching, James muttered a few unintelligible words and everything blurred as they materialised in a dark place, before the sense of vertigo hit Kara again and again as they quickly hopped from place to place, further and quicker than they should’ve been able to. When they finally came to a stop, they were standing on the fringes of a swamp, the smell of sulfur and stagnant water strong in the air. It was starting to get light now, the sky purple with the hint of pink as the sun struggled to rise, and the rivers of water reflected it, painting everything in a soft light. Dark patches of reeds and muddy grass were indistinguishable in the dark, and long, skeletal trees loomed out of the darkness.

 

            “Long distance teleportation is impossible,” Kara blurted out, immediately turning to look at James.

 

            “Like I said, perks,” he said, the crystal disappearing back beneath the metal breastplate.

 

            They were already in Louisiana, after mere hours of travelling, and Kara blinked in surprise, turning to look at Lucy, who turned and gave James a disgruntled look. “Yeah, us Battle Mages don’t have that.”

 

            “Sorry, Luce, you know we have to protect our secrets,” James laughed, shifting Lena in his arms.

 

            “Whatever,” Lucy huffed, “right now, we have to find the shadow zone. I haven’t been here in a few years, but I’ve got a map. We just need a boat.”

 

            Nodding, Kara reached out with her magic and the cypress trees at the fringes of the swamp groaned as she started to quietly sing, weaving the elongating branches together with her words, until the shadowy form of a long kayak was suspended in midair by the branches it was still connected to. With a few sharp gestures of her hands, the kayak was severed from the living trees, and Kara used her magic to slowly lower it down onto the surface of the water, sending ripples radiating out from it as it bobbed gently. She turned and looked at Lucy with a slightly smug look on her face, smiling at the arched eyebrow. “When I lived in Kandor, we used to sing boats like these into shape so we could get around. Lurvan’s and a big island, and flying wasn’t very practical for getting from one side to the other,” she quickly explained.

 

            In the steadily lightening morning, Kara saw the impressed look on James’ face, and smiled, before she walked over to him, peering down at Lena’s pale face and gently stroking her arm. She didn’t dare touch her skin - not when they could be found and sold out so easily by anyone wanting to make a lot of cash quickly - but she had to see if she was okay. James walked over to the muddy banks of the patch of grass they were standing on, his boots leaving deep prints in his wake, and he looked at Kara expectantly. Lucy held the kayak steady while Kara climbed in, sitting in the middle as she was ordered to do so, and James unclasped his cloak with one hand, wrapping it around Lena so that none of her skin was showing, before her set her down in front of Kara, her back to Kara’s chest, and Kara wrapped her arms around her, holding her tightly in place while Lena’s head lolled back against her chest. Lucy jumped in front, and James climbed in behind, but not before he tore a large branch from a tree to help pole them down the river. It was slow going as they built up momentum, but then they started picking up speed, the kayak easily cutting through the leaves and algae that crowded the top of the water, and Lucy held an unrolled scroll in her lap, a small flickering flame cupped in her palm as she tried to find out where they were, in location to where they needed to go. 

 

            The sky lightened as they floated through the maze of waterways, the smell of sulfur growing stronger the further they went into the swamp, and the sunlight shining down through the canopy above them. The air was humid and heavy as they travelled along, and Kara was almost wishing for a cold breeze to sweep through to chase away the smell in the air. Gnats and other insects swarmed around them, and Kara spent ages trying to swat them away, making sure the hood of the cloak was covering Lena’s face, before she gave up and cast a boundary spell around them all. They were quiet except for the occasional direction from Lucy, and Kara was left alone to worry about Alex and Maggie, to worry about Lena, and to wonder where the hell they were going. More than once she silently prayed to the gods, smiling slightly at the thought of telling Lena that she was doing it. She could almost hear the unconscious woman scoffing as she rested in Kara’s arms.

 

            Hours passed by in this fashion, until they abruptly stumbled upon a change. She didn’t have a physical reaction to passing into the shadow zone, but the second they crossed into it, Kara knew. Small rainbow coloured lights drifted past - harmless spirits of those who had died in the swamps and hadn’t moved on yet - and the sulfurous smell mingled with the metallic scent of magic. They were getting close. Lena still hadn’t stirred at all, and Kara was growing more and more worried about her, unsure of whether Lucy’s healing had actually worked - it was one thing to fix broken bones, but working with the insides of the body was a lot harder, and more delicate work - and she gave Lena a gentle squeeze, hoping that even in unconsciousness she knew that Kara was there. They’d come too far together to turn their backs on each other now, even if Lena had said some harsh words before she’d collapsed. Grief and sickness had caught up with her, and Kara was hoping that a few days convalescing in the swamp might help, although the gloomy place didn’t like too welcoming. Anywhere was better than nothing though, and Kara patiently watched rotting tree trunks and long reeds pass by, with the occasional pair of glowing eyes looming out of the darkness as curious creatures came to see what they were doing in the swamp.

 

            And they all of a sudden there were people milling about on the water, small boats like theirs being poled through the narrow waterways with lanterns dangling from the prow, lighting up the gloomy day as they went about their business. No one seemed to pay them any attention, and Kara stared around in amazement as she took in the thick wooden beams holding up rickety huts and platforms, just high enough above the water so that they could still float beneath them in their kayak. Kids shouted as they ran across narrow bridges criss-crossing the water and buildings, sure-footed despite the fact that it looked like the bridges would give way at any moment, and the air was filled with the sounds of shouting and spells, chickens squawking and heavy footsteps on the rickety planks of wood, which Kara didn’t think looked too safe. It was like a miniature city hidden in the heart of the swamp, and as Kara took in the sights and smells of the place, she couldn’t help but feel uneasy. There were too many people here who had the power to catch them, and she cast a look at Lucy’s robes and James’ cloak, and wished that they had something a little more inconspicuous to wear, so that they could slip by unannounced.

 

            “Welcome to the Bayou,” James murmured from behind her, his voice soft, almost swallowed up by the clamour around them.

 

            Feeling a little overwhelmed by everything going on around her, Kara closed her eyes, taking slow breaths, inhaling the smell of smoke and copper, meat from a long, low hut where vendors were shouting the name of odd delicacies, and the water, just inches below them, which eddied as it was disturbed by boats passing through the waterways. A small barge rowed bast them, and Kara took in the straw hat and vest that looked like it was made from alligator skin, and the deeply tanned skin of the man’s exposed forearms. His passengers likewise looked like their clothes were homemade from whatever they could find in the swamp, and had the weathered look of people who spent most of their time outside.

 

            “What is this place?” Kara asked, keeping her voice low as she ducked beneath a low bridge and brushed aside a fishing line that belonged to the pair of legs dangling over the side, their bare feet skimming the top of the dirty water.

 

            “Not a … nice place,” Lucy murmured, “people come here for information, and only when they’re desperate.”

 

            Kara swallowed the lump in her throat, “so we’re that desperate then, huh?”

 

            “We’ll find her,” Lucy reassured her, “I know a safe place to hide you for a few days. Nothing will happen to you here if we keep a low profile.”

 

            “And a Battle Mage and a Guardian asking questions is keeping a low profile?” Kara scoffed.

 

            Lucy let out a quick laugh, “we’re a common sight around here, when we’re desperate. These people have no loyalty; they’ll give you the information you need for the shoes off your feet. You might want to hide that little wisp of yours, or they’ll kill you to steal it off your dead body.”

 

            “Brilliant,” Kara glumly replied, giving Lucy’s back a withering look, “that makes me feel a _lot_ better about what they’ll do if they find out who I am.”

 

            “We’ll get you some gloves as soon as we dock,” James told her, “just keep your hand hidden and your head down.”

 

            “Who are we here to see anyway?” Kara asked, grimacing as she shook the long sleeve of her jacket down over the back of her hand, hiding the dark runes from sight.

 

            James made a small sound of disapproval behind her, which did little to ease Kara’s wary thoughts, but it was Lucy who replied. “Snapper Carr. As mean as they come, but he’s honest and reliable with his information.”

 

            Grimacing, Kara silently took in the information, wondering if he’d be able to help her find her sister, and what the price they’d have to pay would be. She didn’t have anything of worth anymore, only Kal-Ex and her life, and she knew that to the wrong people, that would be a priceless to them. Hoping to not linger for longer than a few days, she looked back down at Lena, pulling back the grey hood to peer down at her face, taking in her closed eyes and slightly parted lips as she breathed shallowly, each inhale and exhale quietly rasping, and Kara frowned, before she let the hood fall back into place. They’d be okay - they had to be.


	19. Chapter 19

            They docked alongside a rickety pier, and James leapt out of the kayak, producing a rope and tying them to a rotting post, before he reached down to gently lift Lena from Kara’s lap. Climbing out after her, Kara felt better with the solid, uneven planks beneath her feet, and reached out to help pull Lucy from the boat, her eyes drifting around the Bayou as she got her bearings. The pier was packed with people, and they didn’t linger as Lucy slipped through the crowd, and Kara was pulled along with her, snaking through the crowd that pressed in on either side of them as people carted cages squawking chickens, piles of different animal skins, and led goats across the planks, while dogs and children ran around their legs. Kara kept her head ducked down, as ordered, watched the hem of Lucy’s tunic as they wove in and out of the masses of people, and she had to fight the urge to glance over her shoulder and look at Lena half a dozen times before they reached their hideout. A flimsy cabin set in between two equally dilapidated hovels was where they stopped, and Kara wasn’t sure if it was held together by magic or by luck as Lucy charmed the lock and the door hinges creaked open, revealing a dank one room place. James ducked through the door and Kara quickly followed him inside, with Lucy bringing up the rear and shutting the door behind them, before she summoned a light and threw the glowing ball up to the low hanging ceiling, illuminating a tidy, sparsely furnished room. Kara watched as James gently set Lena down on a low cot, draping a clean blanket over her and stepping back. The only other furniture in the room was a small table with two wonky chairs and a cupboard and Kara dragged one of the chairs over to the bedside, staring down at Lena’s softly illuminated face.

 

            “She needs more medicine,” Kara murmured to no one in particular, “I need garlic, lemon, thyme, honey and milk.”

 

            “We’ll bring some back with us,” Lucy quietly told her, “you should lay low for a little while. We’ll listen around for what we can before we go to Snapper. Don’t leave the house, and don’t use your magic, and definitely don’t touch her. If you give yourself away, it’ll be like you just lit a fire under everyone’s asses, and they won’t stop until they find you.”

 

            Nodding, Kara, turned slightly to watch as Lucy and James both stepped back out onto the platform, before the door shut again and blocked out most of the sunlight. Thin beams of light still managed to sneak in through the gaps and holes between the planks, and Kara stared down at Lena’s face with concern, fighting the urge to reach out and brush her hair back out of her face, until it grew to the point where she grabbed a corner of the blanket and used it to gently push the stray lock of hair aside. Kal-Ex made a low whining noise as it circled low over Lena, giving her pale skin a ghostly bluish tint, and Kara grimaced as the shadows made Lena’s eyes look sunken, and her cheeks gaunt. Sighing, Kara sat back in her chair, her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes fluttering closed, despite her struggle to keep them open.

 

            She hadn’t slept properly in weeks, and despite the wobbly chair that rocked back and forth whenever she moved, Kara fell asleep quickly, her chin touching her chest as she slowly breathed in and out, still keeping vigil by Lena’s bedside. Hours slipped by as she drifted in and out of sleep, occasionally jerking awake to check on Lena, who hadn’t stirred at all, before she dozed off again. When she finally woke, it was because of the quiet rasping voice of Lena, and Kara started slightly, her chair lurching forward beneath her as she scrambled forward, peering down at Lena’s face. Her eyes were still closed, but her eyebrows were furrowed, leaving a small crease between them, and her jaw was clenched, and Kara knew that she was at least partially awake.

 

            “Lena,” she gently said.

 

            Softly sighing, Lena’s face seemed to relax, her features softening as her eyelashes fluttered against her hollow cheeks. Her eyes didn’t open, but her lips parted slightly, and her hand turned over on the bed, palm open and fingers searching in Lena’s direction. “Kara.”

 

            “I’m here,” Kara quietly told her, pulling the cuff of her jacket down over her hand and resting in on top of Lena’s hand, hoping the pressure offered her some comfort or reassurance, even if it wasn’t Kara’s hand. 

 

            “Hot,” Lena murmured, and Kara choked out a quiet laugh, reaching out to pull the blanket off Lena, taking in the slight sheen of sweat on her forehead as her fever returned. Her breathing was shallow and raspy, and she let out a hacking cough, convulsing slightly on the bed as she limply lay there.

 

            “Lucy and James will be back with some medicine soon,” Kara soothingly told her, climbing to her feet and walking over to the cupboard. Rifling through shelves of stores, Kara found a clean flannel and a bowl, before she hesitantly rummaged through Lucy’s pack and pulled out a flask of water. Returning to her seat beside the cot, Kara wet the cloth and dabbed at Lena’s forehead, wiping away the sweat and smiling slightly at the faint sigh of relief that fell from her lips.

 

            With the damp cloth placed across Lena’s hot forehead, Kara leant back in her chair and drank from the flask, finding herself thirsty in the thick, heavy air of the swamp. Shredding her coat, Kara settled back down in the chair, the room stiflingly warm as she patiently rinsed out the cloth in the bowl and laid it back on Lena’s forehead. Head lolling to the side, Lena softly exhaled, her eyes fluttering open to look at Kara, slightly unfocused and filled with confusion.

 

            “Where are we?” she croaked.

 

            “Louisiana. A swamp.”

 

            “A _swamp?_ Why?”

 

            Hesitating, Kara reached out to press the flannel back into place, feeling it warm beneath her hand at Lena’s burning temperature, wondering if she should burden Lena with the fact that they’d gone astray to find her sister. “Don’t worry yourself about it,” she muttered, pulling the cloth out and dipping it into the bowl of cold water, “just rest.”

 

            “I was mean to you.”

 

            “We’re all mean sometimes.”

 

            “It wasn’t your fault.”

 

            Smiling slightly, Kara carefully placed the flannel back over her forehead, making sure she didn’t so much as graze Lena’s skin. “Shh, it’s okay. I think the fever was just making you bitchy.”

 

            Choking on a laugh, Lena closed her eyes, weakly shaking her head, “I’m sorry.”

 

            “Thank you,” Kara said, resisting the urge to take Lena’s clammy hand in hers and give it a gentle squeeze. 

 

            She had never realised how casual she was with affection and physical contact until she’d met Lena, and they’d had to awkwardly dance around each other so they weren’t tracked down. The only time she’d felt the light feeling of freedom since they’d met had been travelling to and from Hawaii, when they’d been able to touch without gloves, and hadn’t had to worry about people tailing them. Now, stuck in the middle of a muddy swamp, her clothes sticking to her damp skin as she looked after her sick friend, with the sounds of people stomping along the dilapidated platforms as they wove through the huddles of ramshackle buildings, Kara wished that they were on the open sea again, with sunlight playing in her hair as the wind caressed her skin, turning golden as she stood at the wheel, chatting to Lena who sat inside the cabin to escape the sun. Instead, she was worried that any second one of the pair of footsteps trampling past their flimsy door was going to bust in and drag them both, kicking and screaming, from their hideaway, and she wouldn’t be able to protect them both. 

 

            “Thank you for not leaving me,” Lena murmured, a pained look on her face as she looked at Kara. “You’re a better friend than I deserve.”

 

            “Friend?” Kara laughed, “I thought we weren’t friends.”

 

            Letting out a weak laugh, Lena swallowed thickly, “sometimes I wish we weren’t. It would make it a lot easier.”

 

            “Why? Because then you wouldn’t be tagging along on my crazy trip?”

 

            “No.”

 

            “Well, personally, I think it’s made things a whole lot easier. Now I have someone to watch my back all the time. Usually it’s Alex doing it for me, but I’m glad to know that I have someone who has my back even when she’s not here.”

 

            “There’s something I need to-”

 

            The door creaked open and Lucy stepped inside, her figure silhouetted against the fading light outside, the thick canopy of trees making it harder for the sunlight to filter down through them, and Kara turned to look as she stepped inside, followed by James’ hulking figure.

 

            “Here,” Lucy said, holding a small canvas bag out to Kara as she neared the bed, “your medicine.”

 

            “Thank you,” Kara murmured, taking it and opening the bag up to reveal everything she’d asked for, including a leather canteen which she assumed was holding milk. Climbing to her feet, she brushed past Lucy, who took her place, removing the cloth and pressing her hand against Lena’s forehead, murmuring a few questions, before her aura bathed the room in a dim light as she tried to ease Lena’s discomfort. 

 

            Dumping everything out onto the table, Kara walked over to the cupboard, pulling out a slightly rusted pot, a mortar and pestle and a chipped mug. Setting them onto the table, she took a seat, and James stood nearby, watching her as she worked. As she tore bits of thyme off the bunch of herbs, throwing it into the small granite bowl, James approached, growing himself a small stood from the wooden planks beneath his feet, and sat down across from her, and they fell into easy conversation about Kal-El, both of them trading stories about him while Kara worked. She peeled cloves of garlic, the smell cutting through the thick air of the room, and set James the task of grinding it with the thyme, while she borrowed a knife off him and cut the lemon in half, squeezing the juice into the pot. Adding the milk and honey, she scooped the ground pulp into it as well, mixing it in with the blade of the knife, before setting it on the tripod that stood over a block of stone in the corner, darkened with black soot marks. James set a fire beneath it, and soon enough it was bubbling a pale green. Filling a cup with some, she walked over to the bed, and Lucy propped Lena slightly upright, taking the cup off Kara - who relinquished it, albeit grudgingly - and trickled it into Lena’s mouth while she coughed and spluttered, her chest sounding congested. 

 

            Afterwards, James handed Kara a pair of battered leather gloves, and she slipped them on immediately, taking a seat beside Lena’s bed, eating a peach that Lucy handed her and half-listening to the murmured conversation they were having behind her, while she kept a close eye on Lena, who had promptly falling back into unconsciousness with a little help from Lucy. The smell of cooking drifted towards Kara, accompanied by the sounds of a pot being stirred and a knife steadily chopping things. When she was sure that Lena was okay - her forehead less sweaty and her breathing less ragged - Kara climbed to her feet and quietly moved the chair back over to the table, watching as James stirred a pot of what looked like stew. 

 

            “What did you find?” Kara quietly asked.

 

            “Not much,” Lucy sighed, “they haven’t been through here - as far as we know so far - but that doesn’t mean much. No information here is free, unless you accidentally overhear it. We’ll go and speak to Snapper again tomorrow. He’s being stubborn right now, but if we can convince him to spill, he’ll give us everything he knows. He takes pride in the fact that he’s a man of his word - he won’t keep something from us if we’ve paid for it.”

 

            “Okay.”

 

            A while later, a bowl of stew was sitting before her, and a slice of slightly hard bread, which softened a little when she dipped it into the bowl. Ravenous, she ate the entire thing within minutes, wolfing it down as quick as she could without showcasing some bad table manners. James filled it back up for her, but instead of eating it, she walked over to the bed, kneeling beside Lena and reaching out to gently shake her awake. It took a few tries, but eventually Lena slowly started to stir, and Kara murmured soft reassurances to her as she propped her up. “Hey, I’ve got some food for you.”

 

            “Not hungry,” Lena muttered, letting out a gravelly cough, “thirsty.”

 

            Setting the bowl down on the edge of the bed, Kara quickly reached for Lucy’s flask and trickled water into Lena’s mouth, wiping away the water that dribbled out of the corners. Then she gently coaxed Lena to eat something, and was allowed to carefully spoon small amounts of carrot and potatoes into the mouth, watching as Lena painfully swallowed each mouthful. She didn’t eat much, but it was better than nothing, and Kara settled her back down on her thin pillow, reaching out to brush Lena’s hair out of her face with a gloved hand.

 

            Smiling slightly, Kara cradled her bowl in her hands, and Lena frowned at her in confusion. “What?

 

            Blinking in surprise, Kara’s eyebrows rose slightly, “what?”

 

            “You’re smiling.”

 

            “Oh,” Kara lamely replied, glad that the cabin was dark as she felt her cheeks flush slightly. She didn’t want to tell Lena that she was glad to be able to reach out and simply brush her hair out of her face for her. “It’s nothing. You should rest now.”

 

            “So should you.”

 

            Quietly laughing, Kara shook her head, getting up off her knees and walking back over to the table. Finishing the rest of the stew, Kara set her empty bowl on the table and leant back in her chair, fighting back a yawn as she tuned into what Lucy and James were talking about, listening as they made plans for tomorrow. Snapper was their first choice, with his nose in everyone’s business and spies around the whole continent - perhaps even the world - but if he wouldn’t help them, they’d have to resort to other options. So far, he’d refused, and James was sure he was feigning ignorance, but they would try again tomorrow, and Kara would ask if she could go too, just in case she could help plead their case. If he was their best option, Kara didn’t want to know about the other ones.

 

            A little while later, they all turned in for the night, and Kara took a blanket from the cupboard, while James and lucy used their own blankets and packs as pillows. Before she laid down, Kara looked at Lena over the edge of the bed, her pale face visible in the dark room, and Kara reached out to touch her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, before she nestled down underneath her blanket, using her jacket as a pillow. She was asleep within minutes, the sound of voices outside fading into the background as she was lulled into a deep sleep, oblivious to everything else.

 

            Until she woke herself up coughing, her skin sweaty and her voice raw, kicking her blankets off her as she scrambled upright. Breathing in, Kara choked on a lungful of smoke and dissolved into a coughing fit again as her eyes streamed. Blearily looking through the smoke, she scrambled towards Lena’s bed, flinching backwards at the searing heat of flames, and let out a yelp of surprise. Through the thick cloud of smoke, Kara realised that the orange glow was flickering flames, completely enveloping the low cot Lena occupied, while Lena writhed around on the bed, coughing as she restlessly wriggled. Turning around, Kara lunged for James, roughly shaking him awake, seeing that Lucy, who was the furthest away from the smoke, sleeping near the door, was already scrambling to her feet, a sleeve covering her mouth and nose. Kara didn’t want to use her magic - she’d been told not to - and she leapt onto the cot, which decided in that moment to collapse as the wooden legs turned to ash, and Kara pulled Lena’s unconscious body into her arms, tapping her cheek as she tried to get her to wake up. The wall beside the bed and the low ceiling were already writhing with flames, the wooden planks charring and crumbling, and Kara shouted at James and Lucy to do something. Waving away the smoke, James’ hulking figure stood in the centre of the room, and his aura glowed violet as he made a few complicated hand gestures, trying to reduce the size of the fire so that it was more manageable. Each time they extinguished them, Lena brought them back to life again though, her raging fever hot even through the layers separating hers and Kara’s skin, and as the struggled in Kara’s arms, her eyes flitting side to side beneath closed eyelids and her cheeks red, Kara grit her teeth, reaching for the flask of water and emptying it over Lena’s face.

 

            Coughing and spluttering, Lena game to with a loud gasp, her eyes flying wide open, and she looked at the wizard and two witches with shock, taking in the stifling heat of the room and the sweaty, bedraggled appearance of everyone. “What happened?”

 

            “You almost burned us to the fucking ground,” Lucy exclaimed, extinguishing the last of the flames, until all that was left was a few wisps of curling smoke.

 

            Looking up at Kara with frightened eyes, Lena opened her mouth to say something, but froze at a large cracking noise. All four of them exchanged glances, their shoulders tense and their magic brimming to the surface as they all went on alert, and the next thing they knew, the ceiling was collapsing on them, and the floor gave way beneath them. Dropping straight down into the muddy swamp, they all spat out mouthfuls of gritty water as they surfaced, paddling as they kept themselves afloat, with Kara holding onto Lena, who she’d still been holding onto as they’d dropped through the crumbling floor. The only one who didn’t seem disgusted by the water was Lena, who looked a little less feverish as she weakly clung onto Kara as she paddled them out from underneath the crumbling floorboards of the platform. Lucy and James swam ahead of them, and when Kara reached them, she craned her neck around to take in the flames burning high - not on their building, which was already turning to ash and charred wood like a bunch of used matchsticks, but the one beside theirs, that they hadn’t even realised had been caught in the crossfire of Lena’s inferno - and all four of them softly swore.

 

            “J’onn’s not going to be too happy,” Lucy grumbled, her sodden robes swirling around her.

 

            James let out a quick laugh, sitting lower down in the water thanks to his heavy metal breastplate, and quickly looked at Lucy. “Don’t worry, I’m sure he can buy another shithole out here. We need to get out of here before people start asking questions though.”

 

            Swimming towards the nearest ladder set against the side of a row of low buildings, they all hauled themselves up the rungs, shivering as they splashed swamp water all over the planks, earning themselves strange looks from the crowd of warlocks gathered around an old barrel that painted their faces orange in the glow of the fire within. Ducking her head down, Kara wrapped an arm around Lena and urged her onwards, half supporting her as Lena sagged slightly, weak from hunger, sickness and expending what little energy she’d cultivated sleeping on burning their hideout to the ground.

 

            They hurried down narrow alleyways carved between lopsided buildings and through the twisting warren of connecting piers and platforms, trying to put some distance between them and their crumbling building, and Kara didn’t dare ask where they were going as she silently followed along after Lucy, while James brought up the rear. It wasn’t until a door opened and a head poked out that they all stopped, all of them turning at the sound of a voice. “Psst. In here.”


	20. Chapter 20

            Inside the doorway of the cabin, the man looming out of the darkness was bathed in blue light from Kal-Ex as the wisp curiously buzzed around him, and with a start, Kara realised that it wasn’t  _ just _ the blue light from her wisp, her actually had blue skin as well. A shock of short white hair was messily sticking up all over the place, and the man tilted his head to the side as he looked at the four of them, fiddling nervously with his hands.

 

            “Querl Dox,” he slowly said.

 

            “Excuse me?” Lucy asked, steel in her voice as sparks trailed from her fingertips.

 

            “My name,” he told her, giving her a nervous smile, and a small wave, “from the Colu coven.”

 

            Lena sagged slightly against Kara, who quickly propped her back up, a concerned look on her face as she felt her shiver slightly. The wizard blinked in surprise, before he clicked his fingers, and all four of them were wearing identical dry clothes - Kara glanced down at the tight fitting pants tucked into little ankle boots and the thin black t-shirt, feeling grateful for something new to wear - and with another snap of his fingers, a bright light illuminated the long hallway. The building was surprisingly big as they followed after him, too exhausted to ask questions, and Kara assumed that it was an amalgam of connected buildings, giving it its warren-like effect as they wound through twisting narrow hallways, the wooden boards covered in an array of maps, photos, sketches and writings. Empty spaces on the walls were filled with cramped writing, briefly visible when the light passed by before falling back into shadow, and Kara caught snippets of words and unusual runes and symbols, realising that they were spells. Eventually they came to a plain doorway and Querl led them inside, revealing a neatly kept kitchen and a few small cots. 

 

            Gesturing to the long table lined by benches, he walked over to the fireplace, “please, make yourself comfortable. You’ll be thirsty, no?”

 

            None of them spoke as they cast a wary look at their new host, watching as he rummaged around in a cupboard beside the fireplace, coming up with four dusty and chipped glasses, and started pouring water for them all. They were all seated around the far end of the table when he floated their glasses over to them, and Kara cast a quick look at Lucy and James, who subtly checked for poison and gave a small nod, before they all quickly drained their glasses. With a quick gesture, Querl refilled their glasses, and they quickly drained them as well. 

 

            “Questions.”

 

            Kara gave him an uneasy look, unsure what to make of his unusual manner, “who are you?”

 

            “Querl Dox. From the Colu coven. I already told you; please try to keep up, Miss Danvers,” he brusquely replied, sitting down beside her and scooting closer, until he was right in her face, a little too close for Kara’s comfort. Beside her, Lena balled her hands into fists as she stiffened in her seat, tense like a coiled spring, which didn’t go unnoticed by the strange blue wizard, who scrutinised just as intently as he had been with Kara. “No need to look so guarded, Miss Luthor, I can assure you I’m a friend.”

 

            “Friend?” Kara snorted, “we’ve already been warned against everyone living in the swamp.”

 

            “Yes, that’s good. They’ll trade you in for whatever they can get.”

 

            “And you won’t?”

 

            He tilted his head to the side, giving her a thoughtful look, “no, I don’t think so.”

 

            “What are you?” James blurted out.

 

            “A wizard, Mr Olsen. A Brainiac, like most of my coven,” Querl replied, and Kara blinked in surprise. 

 

            Braniacs were prized witches and wizards, with access to more information than most, and a feeling of excitement ran through her at the thought of what he might know. They rarely ventured outside their coven though, and he was the first that Kara had ever met, which begged the question of what he was doing in the middle of a swamp in Louisiana. 

 

            “Why do you want to help?”

 

            “I’m a twelfth-level intellect,” Querl told them, as if that should explain why, and when no one reacted he blinked in surprise, before elaborating, “most of my coven are eighth-level. They were … threatened by me. I’ve been banished, and so I help people with what I know.”

 

            Lena let out a snort of laughter, “for a price though, right?”

 

            “Everything has a price,” he replied, “even knowledge.”

 

            “And what’ll the price be for what we want to know?”

 

            “Well … we’ll talk in the morning. You all need your rest, and Miss Luthor needs some medicine. A fever, chest congestion and a sore throat. I’ll fetch some medicine,” he muttered more to himself than anyone else, climbing off the bench and walking over to a cupboard on the other side of the fireplace. He rummaged around for a few minutes, muttering and tossing things aside, before he let out a triumphant exclamation, a vial containing something amber clutched in his blue hand. With a wave of his hand, everything he’d tossed aside neatly put itself away, and he walked over to the table, setting the vial down in front of Lena with a flourish. “You’ll be fine by tomorrow evening. Bed rest and … yes, some food - you’re both looking rather thin - and you’ll be back to normal. Please, choose whichever bed you’d like; I’ll see you at breakfast time.”

 

            He was gone before any of them could even protest, and Kara was surprised by the casual use of evanescing when there had been a staircase just outside in the hallway, but just added to her eccentricity. Looking around at the other three, she waited to see what they were going to do next, and Lucy just shrugged, heading for the bunk nearest the door, climbing onto the low bed and pulling the blanket over her. James took the one next to her, and Lena headed for the one in the far corner, with Kara trailing after her, claiming the one pushed up right beside it. Sitting on the edge of her bed, Kara watched Lena unstopper the vial, her eyebrows furrowed as she gave the liquid a suspicious look, before sighing and unstoppering it. Before Kara could stop her, she emptied the whole thing into her mouth and shuddered at the bitter taste, before setting the vial on the floor and reaching for the neatly folded blanket at the end of the bed. Kara stared at her in disbelief, and when Lena caught her staring, she just shrugged and carried on climbing into bed, leaving Kara staring after her, waiting to see if the medicine did anything strange to her.

 

            Climbing into bed, tucking Kal-Ex into a pocket, Kara pummelled her pillow into shape and pulled the blanket up to her chin, staring at Lena in the dark as she waited for any signs that something was wrong. Soon enough, she heard the slow, even breathing that suggested that she was asleep, and reached out with a gloved hand, gently pressing a hand to Lena’s forehead, and the pulling her other glove off to feel how hot the glove was, letting out a quiet sigh of relief at the surprisingly cool feeling of the glove. Her fever had subsided a little already, with the help of the swamp water too, and Lena slept deeply for the rest of the night, and through most of the morning too. Kara slept a little more restlessly, without the aid of any medicines, but the sun was still streaming in through a boarded up window when she woke up to a blue face looming above her, choking back a scream of surprise as she scrambled up to the top of her bed, bringing the blanket with her and looking down as one of Lena’s arms flopped into her lap. She didn’t know what was more surprising; waking up to find the strange blue wizard watching her sleep, a curious look in his dark eyes, or the fact that Lena, who was sleeping on her stomach, lips slightly parted and eyelashes fluttering, had been sleeping with one arm clearly thrown across Kara. Blinking in surprise, Kara ran a hand through her awry hair, stifling a yawn as she let her guard down.

 

            “Good morning, Kara Zor-El.”

 

            “How do you know all of our names?” she asked, giving her a wary look as she let the blanket pool onto the bed, gently raising Lena’s arm out of her lap and setting it carefully onto the mattress.

 

            “You care for her,” Querl said, his head cocked to the side as he looked down at Lena’s sleeping figure, “curious.”

 

            “Should I not?”

 

            “Perhaps it would make things easier.”

 

            Kara frowned slightly, hating the little hints that he knew things that she didn’t, and knowing that she couldn’t waste time trying to pay for answered she didn’t need. “Things are never easy. I won’t waste time regretting what’s already happened.”

 

            He let out a quiet laugh, blinking in surprise, “well, I suppose that’s one way to look at it. Maybe not the easiest, but it’s a possibility. As for your names - I work closely with Snapper Carr. He’s not as smart as I am, but that’s what I’m hired for, so I leave the business part up to him. Of course he knows who you are; he’s not stupid. You’re just lucky he wants you for himself, or he’d have already handed you over to the highest bidder.”

 

            Sighing, Kara didn’t bother asking anymore questions, and walked over to one of the benches, propping her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand as she watched Querl carefully move around the room, pulling food out of cupboards and set them down on the scrubbed wooden table. His words were anything less than comforting, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to learn about who else wanted to sell them or extort them.

 

            “What is this place?” Kara eventually asked, watching him pour oats into a large pot.

 

            “My home.”

 

            “I meant this room. You have beds in here.”

 

            “It’s for people who need help,” he answered, “I give them a place to stay, they ask their questions, and then they leave.”

 

            She silently pondered his words, wondering why he was trying to help them beyond answering their questions, watching as he dumped a punnet of various berries into the pot. They were both silent as he made breakfast, objects whizzing around the room as the table set itself and a kettle filled itself with water and quietly whistled as it boiled itself. Soon enough, a pot of porridge was sitting in the middle of the table, and Lucy and James were both sitting at the table, helping themselves to some foot and bitter black coffee. Climbing to her feet, Kara walked over to Lena’s bed, crouching down beside her and giving her a gentle shake, watching as Lena immediately awoke, skittering away from her with wide green eyes, a flicker of hidden emotion in her eyes. Breathing heavily for a few moments, she shut her eyes and ran a hand through her tangled hair, coming back to the present, before pulling the blanket off her and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. 

 

            “How’re you feeling?” Kara asked, looking up at her from her crouched position, her hands on her knees so she didn’t reach out and touch Lena.

 

            “Better,” Lena hoarsely replied, looking less flushed than she had yesterday, and a little more focused.

 

            “There’s breakfast.”

 

            They all had double servings of porridge, and Kara gently tried to coax Lena into having a third, but the other witch looked green at the thought of more food when she’d been half-starved for weeks on end. Still looking a little paler than her usual ghostly look, Lena was given more medicine - a different one this time - which she chugged down immediately, her eyes watering as wisps of smoke curled out from her mouth. Kara bit back a smile at the sight, and slid her a chipped glass full of water to wash the peppery taste away, before turning back to Querl.

 

            “Right, well, before we get down to business, I should explain the rules,” he said, clapping his hands together. He was sitting cross-legged on the far end of the table, far away from any of them as he watched them eat, and within a moment, he was crouched on their end of the table, which was now clear of any empty bowls and cups. Kara clung to her cup of coffee as they all jumped at his sudden nearness. “You can ask one question per payment. One question per person.”

 

            “What’s the price?” James asked.

 

            “Well, Mr Olsen, that depends on the person. Now, who’d like to go first? All of you must pay.”

 

            “But we’re only here to ask one question,” Kara protested.

 

            Climbing to his feet, he stepped over their cups of coffee and water, walking down to the end of the table and jumping off. Bending down slightly, he loomed over Kara and reached out to take her cup of coffee off her. “Well you should ask a question anyway,” he said, taking a sip of her drink and handing the mug back to her while she spluttered and stared at him in surprise.

 

            With a clap of his hands, they were all sitting in a different room, the air smelling of dust and leather, and the four of them looked around in shock as they found themselves sitting on a deep leather sofa, sinking into the cushions as Querl sat across from them in a wingback armchair, his legs crossed as he adjusted the tie on the new black suit he’d just changed into. It was like being in a therapist’s office, with shelves of thick leather bound books and Querl sitting across from them, almost looking like he was about to ask them how their week had been.

 

            “Okay, who’s up first?”

 

            “Me,” Kara immediately volunteered.

 

            “Miss Danvers - Zor-El - Seeker,” he babbled, carelessly waving aside the different names Kara was used to people calling her, “you may have one question in exchange for … your happiest memory.”

 

            “My what?” Kara blinked in surprise.

 

            “Happiest memory.”

 

            Opening and closing her mouth, Kara frowned at him, wracking her mind as she tried to think of what that memory even was. Did she really want to give it up at any rate? Whatever it was, it was her happiest memory for a reason, but then she realised she was doing this for Alex, and no memory was worth more than finding her sister.

 

            “I’m not sure what it is,” Kara admitted.

 

            “Not to worry,” Querl said, climbing to his feet, “Miss Danvers, if you please.”

 

            Climbing to her feet, Kara rounded the small coffee table separating them from him and came to a stop before him, looking into his curious black eyes with a little wariness, standing completely still as he reached out and placed a cool hand against her forehead. His aura was the palest shade of blue, just like his skin, and as soon as he touched her, his magic reaching out to her, Kara felt a stab in her head and her own white aura blindingly lit up the room, her eyes going wide and milky as she stared unseeingly ahead. She couldn’t see anything, because all she could see was a memory playing before her very eyes. A memory of her and her parents, back when she was still in the Krypton coven, back when they were still alive. She watched it play out, looking at it as she would’ve when she was experiencing it, watching the deep blue waves crash on the beach as her mom spread out beach towels, a wicker basket full of food sitting beside them. Her dad was there too, putting up a striped umbrella, before he lifted Kara off her feet, throwing her over his shoulder while she squealed with laughter - she couldn’t have been more than eight years old - and he ran down the beach, splashing through the surf, until they plunged beneath the water, shockingly cold but soon a comfortable temperature. He tossed her in the air, catching her again while she laughed, and they dived underneath the water, Kara searching for shells on the sandy floor while small silver fish darted past. When her mother finally called them back to shore, she clung to his back, arms wrapped tightly around his neck as he paddled back and carried her up the beach. They sat on the towels, sand sticking to their wet skin while the water dried, leaving Kara’s hair curly and crusted with salt, and she laughed as her mom manipulated the sand into different castles, each one more extravagant than the last. It was one of the few times they’d spent together as a family, just a simple memory, but more meaningful than any other one. They’d always been too busy with work - too busy for her - and that day at the beach had been magical to Kara. She’d forgotten what it sounded like for her parents to call her name - she’d forgotten the sound of their voices - and her dad’s face in her mind had become a blur, the memory of him growing dimmer with each year that passed, and she knew it would’ve been the same for her mom if she hadn’t seen Astra on the island and been assaulted by the image of her mother. Her heart swelled with bittersweet happiness at the memory, as everything she’d forgotten came rushing back, and the love and happiness of the family in the memory was almost tangible. And then it was gone.

 

            Coming back to her senses, the air rushed out of her lungs, and Kara blinked in surprise, reaching up at the wetness of her cheeks to find that she’d been crying, and she couldn’t even remember why. There was the nagging feeling in her mind that she’d just been looking at something - something that had made her happy - but she couldn’t remember what it was, and she scowled at the wizard in front of her as she angrily wiped at her eyes.

 

            “You may ask your question now,” he gently told her, a sorrowful look on her face and a hint of pity in his voice.

 

            “What happened to my sister?” Kara hoarsely asked.

 

            “She was taken prisoner by Daxamite Hunters in San Francisco,” Querl told her, confirming Kara’s fears.

 

            “Is she still alive?”

 

            “You can only ask one question.”

 

            Lucy climbed to her feet next, a hard look on her face as she walked over to him. Her payment was to hand over the most powerful spell she had learnt as a Battle Mage, and she did so with little fuss and a disgruntled look on her face, before she repeated Kara’s question and they were assured that Alex was still alive - with no comment about whether Maggie was too. Then James climbed to his feet, and in exchange for admitting what his greatest desire was, he asked where they could find Alex, and Querl smiled slightly, tilting his head to the side as he looked at him. 

 

            “You can find her where the Daxam coven live.”

 

            “Arizona,” Lucy said, blinking in surprise, “they’ve taken them to their headquarters.”

 

            “Why?” Kara asked. At the flicker of fear that crossed Lucy’s face, Kara blanched, realising that they would’ve taken them there for two reasons - one being to torture them for information on the Seekers, and the second being to hold them as bait so that Kara would willingly go and rescue her sister. “Oh.”

 

            They all sat there in silence as they let the weight of the knowledge sink in, and after a few moments, Querl turned to look at Lena, an expectant look on his face. “Miss Luthor.”

 

            Swallowing the lump in her throat, Lena climbed to her feet, rounding the coffee table and standing a few feet away from him, as if she was too scared to get close enough to let him touch her. He looked at her closely for a few moments, cocking his head to the side as he inspected her, and Kara had the feeling that he was looking for something that she was unwilling to part with, as everyone else had been. At least they hadn’t lost anything though - and she couldn’t help but feel sad about what she didn’t know she’d lost. 

 

            “Your payment will be your biggest secret.”

 

            Kara almost thought Lena would refuse, but she cast a look at the three of the sitting on the sofa, patiently waiting for her to ask her question, and then quickly ducked her head down. “I’d like to ask my question privately.”

 

            Blinking in surprise, Kara looked at Lucy and James, and they both frowned slightly, but didn’t say a word as they climbed to their feet, and Kara quickly followed after them, filing out of the room and giving Lena a quick backwards glance over her shoulder. They heard the door lock behind them, and Kara grimaced as she walked down the hallway, James and Lucy following behind her as they tried to find the room they’d been in before. She could hear James quietly talking behind her, and Kara scowled as she listened.

 

            “We shouldn’t have left. We should’ve stayed and listened to her question.”

 

            “Why?” Lucy asked, sounding confused.

 

            “Because you know who her family is. I don’t trust her. Who knows what she’s asking? She could be asking how she can kill us all in her sleep as far as we know.”

 

            Whirling around, Kara looked up at James, who pulled up short, giving Kara a surprised look at the anger on her face. “She’s saved my life on more than one occasion - more times than you have. I know her more than I know you, and I’ve known her longer than I’ve known you. I trust her more than I trust you, so how about you back off and keep your judgements to yourself.”

 

            Turning back around, Kara stormed off down the hallway, leaving Lucy and James to hurry after her. She couldn’t help but wonder what he said about her, or if he didn’t know what her family had done, because if he blamed Lena for her family’s mistakes, then Kara was just as accountable for what her family had done for her. She might not have outright killed anyone with her own hands, but they had died just as easily, and she wondered if her cousin’s friend held that against her too. Kara didn’t know James at all, but despite that, she  _ did _ trust him, but she would always put Lena above him because she trusted her too, and they’d made a promise that they would do this together.

 

            The three of them silently lounged around the room they were staying in, waiting for Lena’s return, and it was a while later when she came back in alone, a brooding look on her face. Kara saw the wary look James shot her, and decided to leave Lena alone for the time being so that she could sort out whatever it was that Querl told her. It wasn’t too long later that Lucy and James both left, with the explanation that they were going to start gathering supplies for their trip to Arizona so that they could find Alex and Maggie. Kara had doubts about it, and knew that they would have to spend another day or too planning their attack, even though she had been itching to leave from the moment she’d first been told where they were. If they pulled it off though, the exchange of her happiest memory for her sister was a small price to pay.

 

            They spent the rest of the afternoon in silence, both of them dozing on their beds or getting lost in their thoughts, and it wasn’t until she jerked awake in a dimly lit room, turning to look at Lena, that Kara realised she wasn’t there. Querl was sitting at the table, a scroll in his hands as a small light illuminated the writing on it, and he didn’t so much as glance at her when Kara climbed to her feet.

 

            “Where’s Lena?”

 

            “The roof.”

 

            “Oh. How do I get up there?”

 

            “The stairs.”

 

            Shaking her head as she rolled her eyes, Kara walked over to the door and over to the staircase she’d noticed when walking through the house. The steps creaked beneath her feet and she gingerly climbed up them, feeling as if the rickety stairs were about to collapse beneath her feet, but they held out and soon enough she was staring at an empty window frame, the warm air smelling of metal and sulfur as it blew inside, mingling with the cool, dusty air inside the house. Cocking her leg over the window frame, Kara ducked her head through and nimbly landed on the sloped wooden shingles of the roof, looking at the shadowy figure sitting on the edge. Trying not to slip on the patches of moss, she carefully shuffled towards Lena, gently easing herself down beside her and dangling her legs over the side. The swamp was quiet, except for the sounds of people wandering past below them, and the only thing they could see in the dark were the flickering lights of spirits flitting between tree trunks.

 

            “Are you okay?” Kara quietly asked, “you haven’t said much all afternoon.”

 

            “Just got a lot on my mind.”

 

            “What’d he tell you?”

 

            “Go to the Worldkiller coven,” Lena murmured, surprising Kara with her forthcoming answer, even though she didn’t tell Kara what question that was in answer to.

 

            She didn’t ask any other questions, knowing that if Lena wanted to tell her, she would, and the conversation lapsed into silence as they both perched on the rooftop in the dark, the smell of rotting wood and moss surrounding them and chasing away the smell of smoke that had been hanging around them all day, despite their clean clothes. Lena had her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms encircling them, her chin on her knees, and her pale skin seemed to glow in the dim light. Hesitantly, Kara reached out with a gloved hand, pressing it against one of Lena’s protruding shoulder blades, her long fingers curling over her shoulder as she squeezed gently. Lena turned to look at her, a small smile on her lips, but she didn’t pull away.

 

            “We should’ve kept the cuffs,” Lena whispered.

 

            “What?”

 

            “I could’ve killed you - all of you. It would be better if I couldn’t do magic.”

 

            Swallowing the lump in her throat, Kara gave her shoulder another slight squeeze, “don’t say that. You’re getting better - so much better. Just think about where you were when we met. You were sick, and- and it was your fever, and-”

 

            “I still would be better off if I didn’t have magic,” Lena firmly told her, “I hurt people … all the time. I don’t want to- what if I hurt you? I could’ve hurt you when we were on Lurvan. I pushed you down the side of the volcano. I could’ve burned you alive earlier. I could’ve-”

 

            “I’m still here. I’m fine,” Kara told her, letting out a quick laugh, “I miss my sister, and my bed, and my apothecary, but I’m okay. We both are. You scared me though; I thought you might’ve been sicker than you were. I know we both know this is dangerous … but for the first time, I thought you were going to flake out on me and have some deadly curse put on you by your mom or something.”

 

            Sighing, Lena closed her eyes, “not by my mom, but I’m starting to think that maybe you were right, and we’ve been cursed by the Gods. No one else has to go through this much shit. So whatever I did to piss your Gods off, it must’ve been big.”

 

            Quietly laughing, Kara couldn’t help but smile, “am I converting you?”

 

            “Almost. I’ll let you know after the next life-threatening situation.”

 

            “If we survive it.”

 

            “Mm.”

 

            They were silent for a few minutes, listening to a drunk man shouting a few piers over as the humidity made beads of sweat break out on their skin, and then Kara turned to look at her again. “Hey, you were trying to tell me something yesterday. Any idea what it was?”

 

            Lena froze for a moment, an uncertain look on her face and her shoulder tense beneath Kara’s hand, but then she gave Kara a puzzled look, her smile not quite reaching her eyes, and shook her head slightly. “No. Must’ve just been the fever talking.”

 

            “Yeah,” Kara muttered, knowing that Lena had been completely lucid during that moment. She thought about James’ words but pushed them aside - she knew Lena, and she trusted her with her life. Whatever it was she was keeping from Kara - the thing she’d known she’d been keeping from the very beginning - she’d tell her when the time was right, and knew that it wouldn’t have anything to do with Lena hurting her. There had been plenty of opportunities for Lena to turn on her, but she hadn’t, and Kara knew that she’d already seen Lena’s true colours, and despite her initial unwillingness to join Kara, she’d been fully committed to their task, and they’d made it this far together. They were in it together. “Must’ve been.”


	21. Chapter 21

            They stayed for three more days, eating and planning at the trestle table, while they stayed inside as much as possible, the suffocating stale air inside the house becoming almost unbearable in their confinement. Only once it was dark outside were they allowed to slip out, James and Lucy sticking to the shadows of the derelict town as they collected supplies, while Kara and Lena would sit about on the rooftop, watching the lights of the spirits drift through the trees. It was almost peaceful, except for the overwhelming urge to leave and find her sister. She knew where Alex was now, and if it had been up to her, she would’ve left the second Querl had told them, but Kara knew that it would’ve been almost certain death for herself and Alex if she’d tried to storm the place single handedly with no plans. The morning that they left dawned with great relief on Kara’s part, and she suspected that Lena felt the same way, both of them dressed and ready before the sun had even risen, Aithusa coaxed back into the dank house as she waited for them to leave. The swamp was quiet at that hour, the sounds of crickets and the occasional plink of the muddy water the only sound drifting through the open window as they all crept around the house, eating a quiet breakfast of oats and toast, taking turns showering beneath the leaky, rusted showerhead in the nearby bathroom, scrubbing the sweat from their skin in the cool water before they were all dressed and ready. Querl hovered in the doorway, watching them all hoist their new backpacks onto their backs, his white hair standing on end as he stood wrapped up in a red plaid dressing gown. 

 

            Clearing his throat, he pushed himself off the doorframe, holding out his hand, his long fingers curled over what he had hidden in his palm. “I have gifts for you.”

 

            “I didn’t think anything here was free,” Lena replied, mockingly arching an eyebrow.

 

            “There are conditions. They’re not to be used until the moment I tell you. You’ll know the one I mean,” Querl replied, “Miss Lane. Here, this one is for you.”

 

            From his palm, he plucked what looked like a yellow marble, handing it over to Lucy, who held it up, the tiny globe catching the dim light of the room. She gave it a slight frown, before looking over at Querl. “What does it do?”

 

            “When you’re in danger, throw it at the ground,” he told her, “be sure to duck.” Lucy scoffed, slipping it into a pocket, and Querl moved on to James, holding out an identical yellow ball. “For when you need reminding about what you really want.” 

 

            Turning to Kara, he gave her a small smile, holding one out for her, “use it when you need your happiness. Only when you’re at your lowest, and you need reminding of what means the most to you - what makes you happiest.” 

 

            Kara silently took it, her fingers wrapping around it as she frowned, tucking it into the pocket of her jeans as she watched him turn to face Lena. He paused for a few moments, staring at her in silence while she gave him an expectant look, and he slowly reached out, the last yellow marble nestled in the palm of his blue hand. Tentatively reaching out, Lena plucked it from his hand, holding it in her own palm, her dark head bowed over it as she waited for her own instructions. 

 

            “For when you’re ready to tell the truth.”

 

            Kara blinked in surprise, a look of confusion crossing her face as the pieces clicked into place. “Hang on … we  _ gave _ these to you. These are our payments.”

 

            “Yes.”

 

            “But … why are you giving them back?”

 

            “Well _I_ have no need of them. I have the knowledge inside my head now,” he said, tapping his temple with a long finger, “it was a test, more than anything. You all paid, and you all gave up a part of yourself, and now I return them to you, for when you need them most. Only then should you use them. For some of you, using them now, and restoring your memory, will not be pleasant, and you might not want to experience it until you're desperate.”

 

            They all uneasily looked at each other, and Kara knew that they were all glancing at Lena, the one with the secret. Then Kara couldn’t help but wonder if the return of her own happy memory might be unpleasant for her too - not in the typical sense of the word - and a wary look crossed her face as she shifted her backpack higher up on her back. “Okay. Well … thank you. I can’t repay you enough.”

 

            “You can. You can find what it is the Seekers have been looking for for millennia. I’m on the side of knowledge, Miss Danvers, and to unravel the biggest secret of our people’s history would be more than enough repayment.”

 

            Kara let out a quiet laugh, giving him a small smile, “I’ll do my best.”

 

            He nodded, satisfied with her answer and gave her a bright smile, before turning around and walking down the hallway, while everyone else followed after him, walking back through the dark, narrow passageways as he walked them to the front door. With a few clicks of his fingers, the locks turned and the door creaked open, the muggy air hitting them as they each stepped out onto the wooden planks of the platform. His tall figure hidden in darkness, just like it had been when he’d called them into his house on the night they’d first met him, Querl watched them for a few moments. 

 

            “Well, goodbye then, and goodluck. I’m sure you’ll need it,” he said, sounding slightly amused.

 

            James grumbled at the strange man’s lack of optimism, all of them hoping that their rescue mission would go as smoothly as possible, despite the fact that they were going right into the wolf’s den. Thanking Querl once more for his help, they all rounded the side of the house, slipping down the narrow walkway and making their way down to the edge of the platform. One by one, they climbed down the rusted ladder attached to the side of the platform, leading down to a pontoon bobbing on the water, and the four of them lithely landed on it, crowding together in the shadows of the platform above them. Out of sight of any watching eyes, James pulled out his blue crystal and the four of them all made physical contact, and then the world went dark and everything stretched and blurred around them as they hopped from place to place, their eyes barely adjusting to the sudden trees and empty roads, the abandoned farmhouses and closed factories. It was hours before they stopped, the arid heat hitting them like a brick wall as they slammed down onto the hard packed ground for the final time. Despite the early October weather, Arizona was swelteringly hot, the dryness of the air parching their throats as they shielded their eyes against the blindingly bright sun.

 

            “Where are we?” Lucy asked, reaching for her canteen and taking a sip of water.

 

            “Phoenix,” James replied, “the closest I can get us to the shadow zone where they operate.”

 

            “Where do we go now?” Kara asked.

 

            A sound like a sigh of wind and they were surrounded, and all four of them crowded together in the middle of the circle, with Kara coming face to face with Mon-El, her sallow skin with its dark veins, his hood lowered as his brown hair was tousled by the slight breeze. “So kind of you to join us. We’ve been waiting for you. See, we knew you’d come - your sister hoped you wouldn’t, but we knew you would - we’ve been waiting months now.”

 

            “Where is she?” Kara snarled, white magic flaring to life on her fingertips, echoed by the wreathing shadows around Lena, as well as Lucy and James’ own magic.

 

            Mon-El laughed, tilting his head to the side as he smiled, “you’re going to fight your way out? You’d risk your sister’s life like that? Don’t be silly, Kara. There’s a much simpler solution to all of this. I’ll make a deal with you.”

 

            “There’s nothing you can say that’ll make me make a deal with you.”

 

            “I think there is. Here, I’ll swear it in blood,” he pulled a knife from the belt her wore around his white robes, running it across his palm and letting a few drops of blood splash onto the sand, staining it with little rust coloured dots. “I swear that if you hand you and Miss Luthor over to me, I’ll let your sister go free. I’ll even release the Bounty Hunter, and let your other friends here go. I swear it upon the Gods too.”

 

            Lena let out a sharp laugh, “she doesn’t hold with your Gods. She has her own. And she wouldn’t trust a word from your lips anyway.”

 

            But Kara hesitated, staring at the drops of blood and the red welling up in his palm, the expectant look on his face as his words rang in her ears and he held his hand out, waiting for her to take it. He’d sworn it by his blood, and upon the Daxamite Gods, appealing to Kara’s religious side, and he promised Alex’s safety. It sounded too good to be true, but he’d sworn it, and from what she knew of blood magic, there was no breaking a promise made in blood. He’d let Alex go, and Maggie, Lucy and James too … all she had to do was turn herself over to him. Herself and Lena. They were already outnumbered right now, and she knew they would be able to take them out if they were quick and deadly with their magic, but then there would be the rest of the coven to deal with once they found them. If they killed the coven leader’s son, it would have the same effect as kicking a hornets’ nest, and if they already knew they were here, there would be no sneaking. No carefully crafted plan would help them out now, and Kara turned to look at Lena, weighing up her decision. Which life was worth more? Her sister’s, or the woman she’d known for four months now. Alex had taught her spells before going to bed, and had always protected her, helping her keep her magic under wraps and her secret safe, while Lena had saved her life a number of times since meeting her, trusting Kara even when she’d had no reason to, and Kara would be lying if she said she didn’t care about Lena. Alex was her sister though, and there was a pained look on her face as she looked at Lena, whose eyes turned black as she was overcome by a vision as Kara made up her mind, a look of horror dawning on her face.

 

            “I’m sorry.”

 

            Before anyone could register what she was doing, she grabbed Lena’s hand and lunged forward, dragging her with her, reaching out for Mon-El’s extended hand and let herself be whisked away from Lucy and James. It was only a moment later when they materialised in a dark tunnel, the sound of rattling metal tracks coming from overhead, while old train tracks stretched out as far as she could see in the dimly lit tunnels. The air was stale from years locked away from any fresh air, and mercifully cool after the searing heat of the parched, rocky foothills on the outskirts of the city, and Kara gratefully sucked in a lungful of it, before a moment later she was slammed down onto the old tracks, her head bouncing off the rusted metal sleeper as the whole tunnel was illuminated in bright white light, shining through the thin back of Lena’s t-shirt.

 

            “What the  _ hell _ did you just do?” she furiously snarled, her fists balled into the front of Kara’s top, her face white with fear and her eyes blazing with anger.

 

            “She’s my sister,” Kara said, her voice cracking as she blinked back tears.

 

            Then Lena was roughly pulled off her, cuffs being placed around her wrists, stemming the flow of her magic and keeping her hands pinned together, and the same was quickly done to Kara, sealing their fates as Mon-El smiled. Kara was too ashamed to look at Lena, but she felt her venomous glare as her eyes burned holes in the side of Kara’s head, making Kara feel even worse about it. It wasn’t like she planned on giving up once she was sure Alex was free, but she knew that Lena wouldn’t see it as a part of her brilliant plan - just part of her betrayal as she turned them over to the enemy. Mon-El seemed to think it was amusing, occasionally glancing back over his shoulder to smile at the guilty look on Kara’s face and the simmering anger on Lena’s, both of them tense as they were herded down the neverending tunnels.

 

            It would’ve been easier to just evanesce them right into the middle of their headquarters from where they were now, but Kara knew that the Hunter was relishing in his victory, wanting the glory of dragging them both into the midst of his coven, parading them around like zoo animals for all to see. Hating him for it, Kara glared daggers at his back as she watched him walk ahead of them, wishing him dead, even though she would never ordinarily wish it upon anyone. With every step they took, she grew angrier and more worried, a part of her fearing that she’d made a mistake and now he had the four of them in his clutches, but a few minutes later, walking through the darkness, a spot of light emerged in the distance, growing bigger as the carried on walking, their footsteps clanging on the rusted metal tracks as the rattling of the trains careening through the newer tunnels above them quietly rumbled overhead. When they came out into a bright foyer, hewn straight from the tanned orangeish rock that made the whole city seem like a desert, Kara blinked in surprise, her eyes streaming slightly. Dozens of magical folk rushed around - white robed Hunters, black cloaked Battle Mages, red garbed Healers - and the few closest to them stopped and stared. 

 

            “Fetch my mother,” Mon-El ordered one of the Hunters, who nodded, disappearing in and instant at the command.

 

            It was only a few moments before a woman wearing a loose navy robe materialised before them, her dark hair tumbling around her shoulders and a metal circlet around her forehead. She had the faint black veins of an ex-Hunter - one who had been fortunate to rise to Coven Leader before the lead in her veins had killed her - and Kara stared at her with hatred. A slow smile spread across her face, and she quickly walked over to Kara, grabbing her left hand and pulling off the leather glove while Kara was held steady by a burly Hunter, revealing the black lines of the compass etched onto the back of her hand. As she was jostled about slightly, the needle wavered, keeping itself pointed directly towards where it wanted them to go, and she wrenched her hand out of the woman’s with a deep scowl, before the woman turned her attention to Lena. Roughly jerked around by the two women gripping Lena by her upper arms, Lena struggled slightly, but was subdued with a stinging hit across her face, while the back of her t-shirt was yanked up, exposing the long line of unintelligible runes inscribed down the length of her spine, before it was dropped back into place and she was turned back around. Her lip was split, and Kara wanted to reach out and wipe away the blood as she looked at Lena with concern. 

 

            “Well done, my son,” the woman said, her eyes sparkling with greed as she looked at the priceless prizes in her possession. She could easily be the most powerful Coven Leader - the most powerful coven - with both of them in her grasp, and Kara didn’t like the sharpness of her smile. “Both Seekers, here, in my grasp. At last. I’m Rhea. Coven Leader of the Daxam coven.” She took a step towards Lena, who was staring intently at the floor, her shoulders hunched and tense, jerking her chin up to look into angry green eyes. “I hope you understand it’s not personal. If you behave, you’ll be rewarded, but if not … well, I’m not so much interested in what you’re looking for, only your power, and if you turn out to be more trouble than you’re worth … perhaps you’d better serve in a box, six feet beneath the ground.”

 

            Tearing her hand out of Rhea’s hand, Lena spat a mouthful of blood in her face. “Fuck you.”

 

            With a sigh, Rhea conjured a spotless white handkerchief and wiped her cheek clean, before she gave Lena a hard stare. It was a few tense moments, and Kara wanted to squeeze her eyes shut, her jaw tightly clenched as she held her tongue, waiting to see what the witch would do. And then Rhea let out a quiet laugh, not quite reaching her sharp eyes, and one of the silver bracelets on her wrists melted and reformed into a thin, needle-pointed blade. She had it pressed against Lena’s throat in a heartbeat, and one of the witches jerked Lena’s head back as the cool kiss of the blade touched her skin, just begging to open up her throat.

 

            “Shall we try that again?”

 

            “Do it,” Lena hoarsely replied, “I won’t take orders from you, so do it.”

 

            Kara made a small sound of protest, but the knife was gone anyway, melding itself back into a silver bracelet, and her words died on the tip of her tongue as she sagged slightly in relief. A second later and she was wincing though, as another loud smack resounded as Rhea backhanded Lena across the cheek. Letting out an exclamation of surprise, Kara strained against the burly wizard holding her back, and when she wouldn’t stop struggling, was rewarded with a heavy fist slamming into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her, leaving her gasping and struggling for air as she doubled over slightly, looking at Lena through the blonde strands of hair that fell in her face. She saw a flicker of concern in those green eyes, amidst the anger, and gave Lena a silent, pleading look. They couldn’t afford to waste time on being angry right now - they had to get out of here as soon as possible. Kara was many things, but she was nobody's puppet, and she knew Lena would oppose to the idea even more - as demonstrated.

 

            “Well, I can see you’re both going to be trouble,” Rhea mused, eyeing them both up, before turning to Mon-El, “have them taken to the dungeons.”

 

            “One thing,” Mon-El said, “I promised the release of the sister and the Bounty Hunter. A little exchange for their surrender.”

 

            Hesitating slightly, Rhea gave her son a cool look, before nodding, “very well. Next time try not to negotiate. We don’t ask - we take.”

 

            Her son nodded, his jaw muscles working slightly, and he gestured for the other Hunters to bring Kara and Lena. They walked through the foyer, passing by dozens of curious stares as all sorts of witches, wizards, necromancers, sorcerers and illusionists watched their procession. Trying not to make eye contact with anyone, Kara focused on the low tanned platform in the middle of the huge cavern, the surface of it sparkling like burnished metal, and as she neared it, she realised that it  _ was _ metal - a well of liquid metal - and she frowned slightly, wondering what they did with all that metal. They were famous for their metalwork, and she guessed that a few hundred had died in there from public executions and the like. Reminding herself to keep a wide berth from it, Kara focused on Lena’s pale arms and dark hair as she followed behind her, making for a tunnel across the room.

 

            Through a warren of more dank tunnels, having to be dragged along as they failed to keep up with the unrelenting pace, they were led down, further and further, until Kara started to feel claustrophobic, like the weight of the tonnes of earth and rock above was pressing down on her. By the time they reached a pitch black cavern, lit only by Kal-Ex and a flickering red flame by Mon-El, Kara was almost relieved at the freezing air that cooled her clammy skin, and the sense that she was in a large open space. Her relief lasted a few moments longer, because the sound of metal screeching reached her ears, followed by a bright light that hurt her eyes for a few moments, and the sound of a familiar voice.

 

_             “Kara?” _

 

            “Alex!” Kara exclaimed, letting out a sob of relief at the sound of her sister’s voice. She hadn’t heard it in two months, and she sagged slightly in the wizard’s arms, feeling faint at the overwhelming knowledge that her sister was okay. “Are you okay?”

 

            “What the fuck are you doing here?” her sister hissed, sounding alarmed and angry.

 

            Her eyes adjusted to the bright light and she saw that the iron bars of the cell had been bent out of shape, creating a large hole into the cell, and Mon-El quickly ducked into the cell reaching back out and roughly pulling Kara in after him. It was a small cell, and Kara felt instantly calmed at the sight of her sister to chained to one wall, dimly aware of a silent Maggie chained to the one opposite her, both of them curled up on the floor. Kara rushed forward, throwing herself at Alex as best as she could, her hands grabbing a fistful of her sister’s torn black tunic as she buried her face into her shoulder, shaking slightly as she blinked back tears.

 

            “Your sister here made a deal,” Mon-El drawled, pulling Kara away by the back of her t-shirt, while Lena was being shoved through the metal bars too.

 

            Lena was hovering near Maggie, her skin stark white in the dim light and her cheeks and eyes looking sunken. “Ah, Lee, you’re looking … _skeletal_ ,” Maggie snarkily greeted her, looking thin and tired herself as she staggered to her feet, chains rattling slightly, the metal cuffs around her wrists wrought with the same runes the decorated Lena's, “I’ll be honest, I thought the next time I’d see you would be when you broke us out of this shithole. Not standing here in cuffs.”

 

            “It wasn’t by choice,” Lena stiffly replied.

 

            “I’m getting you out of here,” Kara thickly told Alex, who was in the process of having herself unchained from the wall. She still had cuffs around her wrists though, and she stumbled slightly as she was hauled to her feet, barely able to keep herself upright as she watched her sister take her place. Kara let herself be chained to the spot Alex had just occupied with no protest, knowing that she’d made her decision, and now she had to live with it. Her only regret about the whole thing was having to watch as Lena was chained in Maggie’s place, her dark eyes boring into Kara’s - unforgiving and accusing - and Kara gave her a pleading look, hoping Lena knew just how sorry she really was. It had paid off though, because her sister was free, looking pale and frailer than usual, but just as pissed off as she stared at Kara.

 

            “When I get you out of here, I’m going to _kill_ you,” Alex snapped.

 

            Lena let out a snort of laughter, no humour in the sound, “you’d better be quick, before I beat you to it.”

 

            “I’m sorry,” Kara said, to both of them, her voice cracking as her eyes filled with tears. “Don’t come back, Alex. Please.”

 

            “Listen to your sister,” Mon-El warned her, a small smile on her lips, “we’ll take care of her. There’s no need to worry.”

 

            With that, Alex and Maggie were pushed through the gap in the bars, and Mon-El ducked out through them, bending them back into place with a quick gesture, but not before his hand darted out and plucked Kal-Ex from the air, the blue wisp letting out a high-pitched whine as its light shone through Mon-El’s closed fist. Kara let out a shout of protest as a jolt ran through her, almost like a static charge, and she strained against her chains, shouting curses after Mon-El as he laughed, extinguishing the bright light and conjuring his eerie red flames again. The last thing Kara heard was Alex calling her name, and she struggled some more, before she resigned herself to the fact that they really  _ were _ trapped for now. All the fight draining out of her, Kara sagged against the rough stone wall, sliding down it, feeling the jagged bumps biting into her skin, until she curled up at the base of the wall, staring into the blackness as she listened to the faint clanking of Lena’s cuffs as she shifted slightly. It was almost like being blind, and the darkness was more suffocating than she’d been expecting, chasing away any relief she’d felt at seeing Alex again and bringing back the claustrophobia.

 

            Sighing, she wrapped her arms around her knees, propping her chin on top and closed her eyes. “I’m sorry.” 


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmao you bitches really thought?

            “What’re you sorry for?” Lena snorted, her voice quiet in the dark cell, “it was  _ my _ idea. I mean, of course it was, I’m brilliant.”

 

            “I know,” Kara sighed, unable to even join in with Lena’s attempts at joking, “but I still feel … guilty.”

 

            Lena let out a loud laugh, the sound bouncing off the walls and echoing around them, too loud in the confined space. They would have to make sure they weren’t heard in here - it would be almost too easy for someone to lurk about in the dark, listening to any snatches of conversation that drifted down the hallway, and Lena lowered her voice when she replied. “It’s okay, Kara. I knew what I was doing when I told you to take an offer if he gave one. God, he’s  _ so _ predictable.”

 

            “I know you told me to, but … I wish there’d been another way to infiltrate the place without selling us out - without selling _ you _ out. We might’ve been better off fighting our way in.”

 

            “The whole point was to  _ stop _ more people getting hurt. I owe your sister, so taking her place … that means that there’s one more person I can help keep safe - gods know she was in here long enough anyway. No one else has to get hurt this way.”

 

            “Except us.”

 

            Her next laugh was quieter, and Kara could almost envision the wry curl of her lips and the flinty spark of humour in Lena’s green eyes, finding her own lips twitching as Lena replied. “They only want us. Don’t worry though, we’ll get out of this.”

 

            They were both silent again, curled up at the base of the walls, their wrists in manacles, which in turn were chained to the wall, and Kara couldn’t help but feel hopeless. Despite her usual optimism, she knew it was going to be tough to break out of here - nigh on impossible, if she was being honest - and she let out a weary sigh, wishing that Lena hadn’t promised her to take a deal if one was offered. Kara couldn’t help but wonder if Lena had seen Mon-El offering her one, or if it was just her own way to recompense for all the people she’d killed all those years ago, even if she knew it hadn’t  _ really  _ been her fault. Turning herself in so that Alex could go free was something Kara would always be grateful to her for, and she felt a pang of affection for Lena in her chest, finding herself more grateful to the other witch than she ever had been before. There was still the overwhelming feeling of guilt though, and Kara knew that she would never forgive herself if something happened to Lena. Right up until Mon-El had offered her a deal, she’d been unsure about whether or not to heed Lena’s advice, and fall back onto that plan, but one look at Lena, who played along  _ perfectly _ , and Kara knew that the other witch wasn’t going to back down. Her head still hurt from where Lena had played along  _ too  _ perfectly, in fact, and Kara smiled slightly at the anger that Lena had summoned.

 

            “Hey, what vision did you have? Right before we were taken?”

 

            “Him letting Alex and Maggie go.”

 

            Kara nodded, turning over the information in her head, wondering what her sister would be doing now, and praying that Alex wouldn’t come back. She’d been very clear about her not coming back, but this was Alex, her stubborn, fighter of a sister, and she didn’t put too much faith in her sister staying far away from the Daxam coven. Not if Kara was trapped in here.

 

            “Do you think we sold it?”

 

            “Yeah,” Lena murmured, “the tackle helped, I think - sorry about your head, by the way. I think we took everyone by surprise, and now they’re going to expect me to hate your guts.”

 

            Softly laughing, Kara grimaced, “I think you should anyway. I brought you on this trip.”

 

            “I agreed to come.”

 

            “And you’ve almost died a dozen times.”

 

            “So have you,” Lena countered, and Kara let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through her hair. “What is it? What’s eating you up inside? Surely you can’t feel  _ that _ guilty about following through on our backup plan?”

 

            Hesitating slightly, Kara swallowed the lump in her throat, “it’s just- if we hadn’t made that plan - if we’d been surrounded and he’d offered us that deal without us knowing beforehand - I’m not sure so sure that I wouldn’t have taken it anyway. She’s my sister, and she means more to me than  _ anyone _ , but I hate the thought that I might’ve turned you over  _ that _ easily. I mean, maybe I wouldn’t have, but I might’ve.”

 

            Lena was silent for a few moments, before she softly sighed, “if the roles were reversed - if I was in here, and you were out there with Alex - do you think you would’ve made the same deal?”

 

            “Yes.”

 

            The reply was instant, because Alex meant so much to her, but so did Lena. She cared about them both, and Querl’s words kept coming back to her about how maybe it would’ve been easier if she didn’t, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d known about this. Perhaps he’d heard whispers about the Hunters waiting for them, and had known that it would’ve been hard for Kara to let Lena walk into danger. Or perhaps he was talking about something completely different. Either way, she cared about Lena - perhaps more than she was ready to admit to herself - and the thought of her being a real prisoner in this place sat with her about as well as it did with Alex being a prisoner here.

 

            “You’d risk your sister’s life as much as mine? Why?”

 

            “I care about you,” Kara quietly replied, the darkness making it easier to admit it, even though Lena must’ve known that she cared. They couldn’t have gone through everything they’d been through - saved each other’s life countless times - to not care about each other. Lena hadn’t said it, but Kara knew she cared about her too; they’d both made it very clear.

 

            “Then I know it wouldn’t matter if you’d handed me over either way.”

 

            “Why?”

 

            “Because clearly you wouldn’t leave me behind.”

 

            Kara laughed again, realising that Lena had a point. For what it was worth, they’d become close over the months they’d travelled together, and they were a package deal now - a true pair of Seekers - and they’d come too far together to turn their backs now. The trust they’d placed in each other to infiltrate the Daxam coven headquarters, relying on each other to get each other out safely, had solidified their friendship. They’d willingly gone into the belly of the beast, literally hand in hand, and if they came out the other side - which Kara very much hoped they did - they’d be free of their Hunters, and free to make a dash towards the Worldkiller coven, before they finally followed the compass on Kara’s hand. It was inevitable that they would eventually have to follow the needle point and find the Codex - that was why they’d set out on this journey in the first place - but all of their planning on the rotting shingled roof of Querl’s house had pointed towards them going to the Worldkillers first. Lena’s answer to her question prompted her to go there, as well as their questions about Lena’s runes, which meant that they had to bite the bullet and go there for their answers, hopefully making one last stop before their trek northwards. First, they had to get out of their cell, and out of the warren of tunnels, which meant they had to finish the reason why they’d come here - to kill Mon-El.

 

            As Kara pondered their whole predicament, she found herself feeling more and more claustrophobic as the suffocating blackness, and heavy metallic smell of magic imprisoning them, weighed down on her. Wishing for some light, Kara brooded in silence for a while, listening to the quiet breathing coming across from her, almost close enough to touch, if it wasn’t for the chains. And then Kara blinked in surprise, a spark of hope inside as she reached for one of her boots, stripping the shoe and sock off as the cell was filled with the loud clattering of her chains. “Take off your left boot,” Kara hurriedly whispered to Lena, “and sock.”

 

            The sound of Lena’s chains rattling quickly joined in with Kara’s as she immediately conned on to what Kara meant, and soon enough they were both propped up on their elbows with their legs stretched out before them, and at the slightest brush of the soles of their feet, the whole cell was bathed in a white light, blinding them both as the hissed curses, wiping at their streaming eyes. They’d both pulled away at the blinding pain of the light, and they tentatively reached out again, their eyes closed this time, and the inside of their eyelids were painted red, before they gradually managed to open their eyes, finding themselves looking at each other. The cell was small enough that they could both shift into a more comfortable position, almost able to sit up, while they stayed skin to skin. Kara couldn’t stop the smile that broke out across her face at the sight of Lena, but quickly sobered up at the bloody lip, her lips turning down at the corners.

 

            “How does this work?” Lena asked, looking at Kara’s glowing hand, “the cuffs …”

 

            Looking down at the hand without a glove, Kara frowned slightly, “I don’t know. Maybe … maybe this isn’t so much as magic, but a part of us. I guess the runes are something different to our auras - or are too powerful for the cuffs.”

 

            With a thoughtful look on her face, Lena stared at the floor, her eyebrows furrowed as she pursed her lips, and Kara watched her closely, studying the lines of her face, so thin and pale - not quite so different from the woman she’d met in the forest, but looking leaner and rougher, which wasn’t exactly a good thing - and wondering if their plan would work. They didn’t say anything for what felt like hours, and very well could’ve been for all they knew in the windowless prison, the rusted bars of runes blocking them from their attempt at freedom, but neither of them pulled back from each other, keeping their cell lit up like the sunniest day, not wanting to give up their brief moment of human contact, feeling touch-starved and lonely. It didn’t matter if they touched now - they had no magic, and were already in the clutches of the people who wanted them most - so they stayed that way for hours, until they both eventually fell asleep and somewhere along the way, let the contact end. 

 

\---

 

            She came to at the shockingly cold faceful of water, bolting upright and shivering in the chilly air, her frantically wiping at her eyes as she scuttled backwards until she hit the base of the wall. Mon-El was standing outside the cage, a conjured witchlight splitting the darkness and his outstretched hand being the source of the water that had woken her. Turning to look at Lena, she saw that she was await, shooting daggers at Mon-El as she wrapped her arms around her shaking body, teeth chattering and dark hair plastered to her face. 

 

            “Dinner,” Mon-El flatly told them, two trays slipping through the metal bars that parted around them, his dark eyes flashing dangerously as he watched them both cower in the corners. 

 

            He didn’t come down that often, and when he did, he didn’t gloat, which was all the more confusing to Kara. He would just stand there in silence, watching them both, the tension in the air growing thicker as Kara and Lena ignored each other or shot each other the occasional venomous look, keeping up the charade of betrayal and hatred. On some days, it wasn’t that hard to fake it, feeling crabby and irritable from their cramped cell and the restless sleep on the hard stone floor. Sometimes he came with more guards and he’d take one of them out of the cell, marching them through the dizzying tunnels while they both made mental maps - he didn’t know it, but he was playing right into their hands - and they’d be taken up to Rhea’s lavish quarters. Hours were spent standing on the luxurious Persian carpets, ignoring question after question, and withstanding all of the silver tongued coaxing the coven leader tried to get at least one of them to bend to her will. She didn’t torture them - it might’ve been more effective if she did - and they were both surprised at that. Instead, they were shown the occasional kindness, trying to soften them, and although they never worked, they both thoroughly enjoyed the scaldingly hot baths in the marble tubs, the big feasts they were sometimes subjected to, as Daxam coven members crowded around the table to stare at the two witches, who had been pampered and dressed in fine silks for the occasions. Some nights they’d be chained to beds with thick mattresses and soft pillows, sleeping soundlessly with the knowledge that no one would hurt them - they were too valuable. They always made it back down to that cramped cell though, no matter what they tried. 

 

            Kara couldn’t be sure how long they had been kept in there, but it had to have been a couple of weeks at least. Weeks inside the damp cell, chained to a wall, and presumed to have been kept in darkness, although they spent hours, skin to skin, lighting the place up as they made quiet, careful plans, plotting for the right moment. It had been uncomfortable for the most part, but both of them were relieved at the time they had been afforded to rest and recuperate. They were well rested, despite their restless sleeps, having time to do nothing  _ but _ sleep, and they were well fed too, even if the meals were bland half of the time, and Kara was quick to give most of her portions to Lena, who hadn’t had time to put weight on from their travels and her sickness, before they’d turned themselves in. She started to fill out more, the sharp jut of her cheekbones and collarbones becoming less prominent, much to Kara’s relief, and the sunken, gaunt look disappeared from her eyes, while Kara got by on as little as possible. That was another part of their plan, and Kara had willingly volunteered for that role to make up for the fact that they’d traded themselves to rescue her sister. It was a selfless thing for Lena to do, more so than it was for Kara, and so, Kara was the one that was going to break them out and kill Mon-El. Lena had seen enough of death for her liking, and while Kara didn’t think she’d be able to stomach doing it, she knew they had to, and she would spare Lena the task, at any cost necessary.

 

            It felt like forever before Mon-El left, and then they were both plunged back into darkness, listening until the footsteps disappeared, leaving them both alone with their breathing and gently clinking chains. Once they were sure that there were no listeners, and no soft echoes carrying down the hallway, they scrambled towards each other, their ankles touching as they pulled their trays of food with them. It was soup today, with a thick crusty bread, and Kara quickly handed the bread over to Lena, before she started to spoon the soup into her mouth. She ate all of it, and then gave Lena a hard look.

 

            “Today.”

 

            “Today?”

 

            “Yes,” Kara said, “I think the time’s right. My cuffs are loose enough now.”

 

            Lena quickly finished the rest of her food and gave Kara a curt nod. “Now.”

           

            “Now?”

 

            Nodding, Lena gave her a small smile and shrugged, “no time like the present. They won’t be down until the morning. Or the night shift, at least. The sooner we leave, the more time we’ll have to find that bastard. If we’re lucky, he’ll be sleeping.”

 

            Kara could feel the buzzing thread that connected her to Kal-Ex and knew it would lead her right to Mon-El, and she gave Lena a grim smile as she nodded. They both pulled away from each other, plunging themselves into darkness, and they fumbled for their socks and shoes, quickly pulling them on in tense silence. When they were both ready, Kara took a deep breath, reaching for her left hand with her right one, the chains dragging along the floor as she moved, and she steeled herself, feeling for the metal cuff around her wrist. They’d put those cuffs on the moment they’d captured them, and they hadn’t been touched since, which was a big mistake on their part, because weeks of a limited diet had made the cuffs loose around her wrists. Not quite loose enough to slip off, but loose enough to get them off with a little bit of pain and effort. Gritting her teeth, Kara dislocated her thumb with one quick movement, biting back the scream that threatened to tear from her throat as she quickly pulled her hand through the cuff, the pain making her feel dizzy, even though she couldn’t see a thing in the dark. Lena was silent, listening to Kara’s ragged breathing as she turned to the other hand, repeating the process, but unable to stop the small whimper of pain this time. She let the cuffs fall to the floor, both of her thumbs throbbing as she climbed to her feet, feeling the buzz of magic slowly return to her, her fingers prickling slightly. She didn’t have much time to waste, and quickly popped her thumbs back into place, muttering curses the whole time, and then summoned a tiny ball of light as soon as she could manage it. 

 

            Lena’s face was lit up with a triumphant smile, a flicker of pride in her eyes, and Kara quickly dropped to her knees in front of her, a smile on her own face, and startled Lena by wrapping her in a tight hug. Much to Kara’s own surprise, Lena hesitantly returned the hug, burying her face in Kara’s shoulder as they allowed themselves to take some small comfort in the warmth of each other’s embrace for just a few moments. Then Kara grabbed the chains around the cuffs, her aura like white hot fire as she melted the metal, beads of molten lead dripping from her hands as she melted her way through them as easily as a hot knife through butter. Wiping her hands on her dirty shirt, she reached down to pull Lena to her feet, and then turned towards the thick iron bars of their cell. It was covered in runes, and Kara knew she wouldn’t be able to melt her way through them - she’d have to bend them like the Daxamites. Taking a deep breath, she reached out with her steadily growing magic, already feeling the brimming power reach the level that would make her more than a match for the strongest magician she’d find here, and sought out the very fibres of the bars, feeling the different components of the metal. With a quick jerk of her hands, she bent the bars out of shape and turned around. Now came the hard part, which was partly why they’d waited so long - they had the map inside their heads, and Kara had run over every inch of the spells she’d need, listening to the theoretical notes Lena had in her head from her own studies - and she faced their empty cell. Conjuring up lumps of stone from the rockbed of their cell, she made crude doll-like golems, and with the sharp slice of rock against her palm, smeared blood onto its rough head. Lena did the same, and they both became animated puppets, which Kara slowly wove illusions around, until they looked like her and Lena. They weren’t exactly perfect, given her weakened state and the first time casting of that spell, but they’d do for now, and they quickly chained them to the walls, with Kara hastily melting some new cuffs for the fake golem of Lena.

 

            Once she was sure that would keep them off their tails for a while, in case the night guard did come down here, Kara stepped through the bars, helping Lena through after her, and bent them back into shape. With a quick invisibility charm cast over them both, she extinguished the light and made sure to hold Lena’s hand with her right hand, breathing a sigh of relief at the fact that their invisibility also hid their glowing runes, and in the dark, they quietly rushed down the tunnels. They’d known they wouldn’t be able to use a light when they escaped, so unbeknownst to their captors, they’d walked the tunnels with their eyes closed, until the path had been beaten into their head - every step counted, every turn noted - until they had amassed a map in their heads, and were confident that between both of them, they’d make it up to the main foyer or chambers that they were looking for. Getting out was another question, but that didn’t matter right now. 

 

            They were careful not to rush, and Kara held on tightly to Lena’s hand, her heart hammering in her chest as they crept through the dark, passing wraiths through them like spectres, and Kara’s heart ached for the other people in the upper levels of the dungeons, where the common criminals had been imprisoned, knowing that at least half of them most likely didn’t deserve to be in there. They didn’t have time to free them now though, and they passed by black cells where prisoners’ ragged breathing or muffled whimpering drifted from between the bars, making sure they didn’t alert any of the occupants to their passing by. It felt like they would never reach the end of the prisons and the dark tunnels, with the endless turns and counted steps, but eventually, the beginnings of light reached their eyes, the tiny speck growing bigger as they walked towards it, walking slightly faster now. Nearing the archway of the tunnel, they stared out into the foyer, taking in the few magical people meandering about, the lights dimmed due to the lateness of the hour, making sure they were pressed up against the wall just inside the tunnel, in case someone wandered through the tunnel and bumped into one of them. 

 

            Pausing for a few moments, they scouted their surroundings, and then Kara gave Lena’s hand a quick squeeze, before she pulled her out of the tunnel. They skirted along the edges of the walls, feeling exposed after the cramped tunnels, and Kara’s eyes were focused on the tunnel halfway around the room, where the tug of Kal-Ex was drawing her to. She went first not only to follow that faint pull that nagged at her, but also because if anything went wrong, she was going to have to fight for both of them, because Lena still wore her cuffs. They’d decided that only one of them should have their cuffs off, so that when they touched they wouldn’t alert anyone to their overwhelming surge of magic interacting, which was part of the reason why Kara had volunteered for the hard job, so that Lena would be spared the fear of her powers blowing up if it all became too much for her. With the cuffs on, she wouldn’t have to worry about turning the whole coven into rubble, because they were well aware of the fact that there were hundreds of innocents here, and they didn’t deserve to be punished because of their selfish and power-hungry leaders.

 

            It was a slow, painstaking process, and Kara was almost tempted to burst into a sprint, dragging Lena behind her as they cut a path through the middle of the foyer - skirting that pool of molten metal - but before they could even get halfway around the wall, there was a loud ear-splitting cracking noise, and Kara and Lena froze. Then there was chaos, as a dozen black robed Battle Mages spread out, with Alex in the middle, Lucy and J’onn with her and a burning fire in her dark eyes. Feeling slightly weak in the knees, Kara slumped against the wall, her eyes wide with fear as she watched more people appear. First it was Maggie, and James, and then Kal-El, Lois and Thara, and Eliza and Astra, and Winn - her nerdy friend who had never so much as been in a street fight - and Kara felt an overwhelming rush of love for all of her friends, who didn’t even know she was there, watching them all show up. But then the Daxamites got over their initial surprise, and a warning must’ve been triggered, because all over the foyer, magicians of every type started materialising - mostly those skilled in battle spells - and Kara wanted to call out a warning, but found herself frozen in silence. Lena was right beside her, squeezing Kara’s hand tightly, a signal to keep going, to use this distraction to their advantage. If they could find Mon-El soon enough, they could make it back to Alex and their rescuers and use whatever escape strategy they’d brought with them, and no one would come chasing after them. 

 

            They didn’t have to look very far for him though, because he materialised in the middle of the room a few moments later, the tugging feeling growing stronger, notifying Kara to her wisp’s presence in the foyer. She turned to look at Lena - or the space she would’ve occupied - and could almost feel Lena staring back at her, and in the gentle squeeze of her hand, Kara got all the encouragement she needed. Watching as fighting broke out around them, Kara couldn’t help but feel angry at Alex for coming - this was the exact thing they were hoping to avoid by turning themselves in. Moving carefully through the heaving mass of bodies, watching as some went flying across the room, others crumpled to the floor, and everyone’s auras lit up, painting the room a rainbow of colourful lights, Kara pulled Lena with her, giving her hand a quick jerk downwards, shouting at her to crouch - they didn’t need to worry about being quiet anymore - the room was utter chaos. She was making a beeline for Mon-El, who was standing near his mother, both of them flinging curses, their skin pale, and Mon-El’s fingers writhing with molten lead, drawn from his very blood and added to by the silvery pool. Kara watched as the metalworkers all drew ribbons of it from the pool, wielding it in knives or whips as they fought back against the invaders. As Kara made towards Mon-El, she paused, catching sight of Alex, who was standing up to her knees in the middle of the pool, fighting off multiple whips of metal, bleeding lacerations on her face and hands, while Maggie stood back to back with, trying to do the same. Rhea was standing on the slightly raised ledge of the pool, tentacles of metal creeping towards Alex, and Kara’s heart leapt into her throat, a shout forming on her lips. And then a wave of metal rose up around Alex, and she launched them at the Daxam coven leader, dragging her into the liquid metal as it formed manacles and chains around Rhea’s arms, legs, neck and chest. Watching with fascinated horror, Kara watched as the dark haired woman slipped into the metal, on her knees in a silvery sea, and Alex pulled on the chains with her magic, forcing Rhea facedown in the metal, which closed over her body. She didn’t come up again.

 

            Kara’s relied at her sister’s luck was short lived as Mon-El let out a furious shout, moving as a blur as he barrelled right towards Alex. Dropping Lena’s hand, Kara darted forward, her invisibility spell dropping as she pushed with all the force of her magic, sending him sprawling to the floor. Everything seemed to freeze for a moment as Lena followed close behind Kara, reaching out to touch her on the shoulder, keeping her steady, while Alex stared at her sister in shock and Mon-El struggled to his feet, his white robes stained red with someone else’s blood and his eyes wide with surprise.

 

_             “You,” _ he snarled, a look of confusion in his eyes, as if he couldn't believe they'd managed to escape their cell.

 

            “You should keep a closer eye on your prisoners,” Lena drawled, all casual arrogance as she feigned boredom, “no wonder it took us turning ourselves in for you to catch us, you're completely shit at your only job.”

 

            His mouth opened and closed for a few moments, and then his face stiffened and he turned just in time to block the spell Alex shot at him, which ricocheted off his shield and struck another white hooded witch, who crumbled to dust as the spell struck her. Kara and Alex began to circle around him, their auras a blindingly pure white light and emerald green, but then Kara let herself be distracted by Lena, who dropped to her knees, pulling a knife from a dead warlocks boot and reopening the cut on her palm, dabbing her fingers in the fresh blood and drawing runes on the floor, the coppery smell of her blood mingling with the metallic taste of the magic that enveloped them all. Mon-El noticed Kara’s distraction and followed her line of sight, his eyes latching onto the metal cuffs still circling Lena’s wrists, and he looked at Kara as he held a hand out, watching realisation dawn on her face. She threw herself across the gap separating her and Lena with a warning shout escaping her, feeling her bones snap as the magic hit her in the left shoulder, instead of Lena, and a scream of pain tore from her lips as she fell to her knees, hard. Not pausing to think about the pain, Kara looked up at him, her breathing ragged, and Alex’s pale face behind him, chasing after him as he approached Kara, who was struggling to her knees, protectively crouching in front of Lena, who was pulling her into the pentagram of blood she’d hastily created. He couldn’t reach them inside it, and Kara swallowed the lump in her throat. They'd planned for this.

 

            Reaching out with her magic, trying not to whimper at the stabbing pain in her left arm, she stared at Mon-El, letting her magic feel him - every atom of his being - and with a cry of rage, she tore him apart completely. It was a few moments of blind rage, her eyes white as the magic in her blood took over, and one moment he was there and the next he was a fine red mist, and Kara was completely covered in it, choking and heaving as she looked down at her red speckled skin and the realisation of what she’d done. 


	23. Chapter 23

            Everything seemed to move slowly, the edges of her vision blurred and the jerky, almost robotic movements as she blinked slowly, staring down at her red, shaking hands. The one overwhelming thought was that Mon-El was dead. Then there was the dull aching spreading through the left side of her, and the ringing in her ears as she drew in ragged breaths, her tongue coated in the thick coppery taste of blood, and she was stumbling backwards, falling back into warm arms that wrapped around her, keeping her upright. She was dimly aware of the muffled sound of her name being called, and then Alex’s fingers were gripping her chin, jerking her head up so that she was looking into her sister’s brown eyes, and her adoptive mother lingering behind her shoulders. The sounds of fighting echoed around them, but Kara listened to it all as if she was beneath water, blinking slowly as she sagged in Lena’s arms‍, completely out of control of her own body as shock set in. 

 

            She was passed off to Alex, feeling cold and in pain at the loss of the warm arms wrapped around her, and then it was a dizzying haze of light and darkness, before they slammed down in a lavish studio apartment. Aware of the fact that they weren’t alone, Kara numbly listened to J’onn ordering protective spells and boundaries to be placed around the room, and a couple of black robed Battle Mages rushing to help him. Maggie was there, as well as Eliza, and Kara was carried through into the ensuite bathroom, the bright whiteness of the tiles and walls harsh on her eyes, which began to water as the door was shut behind her.

 

            And then she was crying, catching sight of herself in the mirror, before Alex quickly jerked her around. She was painted red, her eyes seeming so blue against the rusty colour of the blood as it started drying on her skin, and her tears were already cutting a path down her cheeks. Without ceremony, she vomited all over the front of her sister’s robes, and Alex swore as she pulled Kara over to the toilet in the corner, hurriedly pulling her hair back while Kara’s shoulders heaved and she was sick over and over again, until there was nothing left but the sour taste of bile coating her tongue. Still sobbing, she was carefully helped to her feet by Alex, and Eliza had the hot water running in the shower for her, which they quickly placed her under, letting her sink down to the tiled floor and curl up in a ball. Drawing her shuddering breaths as she squeezed her eyes closed, Kara felt gentle hands begin to wash her skin with the thick bars of lemon scented soap, filling the air with the sweet smell, rather than the metallic one that Kara was struggling to get rid of. Her sodden, bloodstained clothes were peeled off her one by one, until she was sitting in her underwear, looking frail, bony and pale as she cried on the shower floor, listening to Eliza’s gentle murmurings while she had her hair washed and her face gently wiped free of blood, and her adoptive mother carefully healed all the broken bones on the left side of her body.

 

            She wasn’t sure how long she was left underneath the hot water, but by the time she was helped out, her skin prickling with goosebumps at the sudden cold of the tiled room, she’d stopped crying. Wrapped in a white fluffy towel, she was led over to the toilet and sat down on the closed lid, her bottom lip trembling and her hands keeping the towel closed around her as she shook. With a few whispered spells, she was completely dry, and Alex was slipping a soft white robe onto her, the light silky feeling sliding against her clean skin, and Alex tied it up at the waist and giving her upper arms a gentle squeeze as she gave her sister a searching look. Kara could barely bring herself to look her in the eye, let alone Eliza, who was drying her hair with a spell, like she used to do when Kara was younger, and she almost wanted to turn into dead weight in Alex’s arms when her sister started leading her towards the door, the smell of blood, magic and vomit clinging to her, making Kara feel sick all over again.

 

            Stepping back into the room, she was met by the crisp, clean smell of citrus and the smoky smell of some tree, identifying them both as copal and cedar as her eyes landed on the witch waving them around as she smudged the room. Blinking in surprise at the familiar blondeness and pale pink aura, Kara watched as her investor stared back at her, a slender eyebrow arched slightly and her lips pursed.

 

            “Well, I always knew you were too powerful to run an apothecary your whole life, but did you really have to blow it up?” Cat asked, sighing as she waved a cedar smudging stick around Kara, “that’ll show me for investing in a business with someone keeping secrets. A Seeker, really?” She gave Kara an exasperated look, obliviously babbling on, despite the blank look on Kara’s face, or aware of it and just going on a tirade anyway, as Cat Grant was wont to do. Kara hadn’t seen her in months, and was surprised at the sudden appearance of her investor, and it was a few minutes before she realised that they were in one of her apartments somewhere - that they’d found themselves another ally in the shape of the woman who had given Kara the chance to start her business. Right now, she missed her apothecary more than ever. She missed the mingling smell of herbs and minerals, plants and dried flowers and strange liquids. She would even take the yellowed bones that she occasionally had to grind into dust for questionable clients. Most of all, she missed the peaceful ignorance of her little apartment above it, with its scrubbed wooden table and cauldron in the fireplace, the books and scrolls and the cozy kitchen. She’d been safe back then; she hadn’t killed anyone back then.

 

            Led over to the bed, she was lowered down onto the edge of the thick mattress, and that’s where she stayed as people bustled around her - only a few of the large number that had come to rescue her and Lena - but then they slowly started disappearing. First, it was Cat, after she’d smudged Lena too, and then most of the Battle Mages. Then Eliza had given her and Lena tight hugs and had disappeared, until it was just Kara and Lena, and Alex, Maggie, J’onn and Lucy. The three of them hovered in the doorway, while Alex knelt before Kara, giving her sister’s hand a gentle squeeze.

 

            “I can’t stay. I’m sorry. We need to keep you safe though, and this is the best way we can. We’re going to seal you in for a day. No one will be able to get in or out until the seal disappears, and you’ll be safe here. Undetectable. Only the people who were here know where you are, so I have to leave before someone tracks us all here. I need to help them plan to move you tomorrow - maybe - but I’ll be back tomorrow night when the barrier comes down. I wish I could- I’m sorry. I don’t want to leave but-“

 

            “Go,” Kara hoarsely told her.

 

            It didn’t make a difference it Alex stayed or went - in fact, Kara would almost prefer it is her sister  _ did _ leave so that she wouldn’t have to pretend that she was okay, even though she knew Alex wouldn’t expect her to be. She’d pity Kara instead, and tell her it was okay for her to break down, and she’d sit there and hold her while she cried, but Kara didn’t want to cry anymore. Alex stayed crouched before her for a few moments, giving her sister a searching look, her forehead wrinkling with concern. 

 

            “I just want to sleep,” Kara wearily told her, looking down at her hands, blanching slightly at the blood trapped beneath her fingernails and curling her fingers inwards, gouging crescents in her palms as she closed her eyes. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

            “Kara-”

 

            “I’m glad you’re okay. You shouldn’t have come back for us.”

 

            “Of course I’d come back for you,” Alex murmured, “you’re my sister. You have a lot of explaining to do though. Once this is all over.”

 

            Nodding, Kara let Alex climb to her feet and wrap her in a tight hug, and Kara tried not to breathe in the smell of her sisters robes as she gave her a feeble hug in return. She kept her head ducked down as Alex pulled back, hearing her and Lena murmuring a few words to each other, missing the worried glances thrown her way and the reassuring squeeze Alex gave Lena’s shoulder, before she walked over to the door and slipped out into the hallway where the others were waiting for her. A heavy metallic smell pervaded the air and a shimmering wave swept through the room, settling over everything, sealing them inside in silence. She could still feel Lena’s presence though, and a few moments later, she was kneeling before Kara in a floral silk gown, her hair wet and curling slightly around her shoulders, and she looked up at Kara with a flicker of pain in her eyes and worry etched into the grim lines of her face. Reaching out for Kara’s hand, Lena slowly unfurled the clenched fingers and gently placed a glowing blue ball of light into her palm, a small hum of curiosity coming from the wisp. Kara burst into tears again, taking them both by surprise as she was wracked with violent sobs, pressing the palms of her hands into her eyes as she tried to stop herself from crying, while Kal-Ex nervously drifted around her, bumping into her arm and shoulder. 

 

            Lena reached out and gently pulled Kara’s hands away from her eyes, holding them carefully in her hands while she looked into Kara’s horrified blue eyes. “It’s okay.”

 

            “No.”

 

            “It is. It’s okay, Kara. I know how this feels. I know what it feels like to do what you just did.”

 

            “Please,” Kara said, her voice cracking on the word, “please. I need you.”

 

            “Okay,” Lena murmured, pushing herself up onto her knees as her hands ran up Kara’s arms, and she gently cupped her shoulders, “okay. I’m here. It’s okay.”

 

            “Please.”

 

            “I’m not going anywhere.”

 

            Kara tilted forward slightly, her head rolling to the side as Lena’s hand slid along her right shoulder and up the side of her neck, cradling it in her hand as she gently stroked Kara’s cheek with her thumb. Forehead falling against Lena’s shoulder, Kara let out a shuddering breath, and Lena’s arms automatically came up to encircle Kara’s thin frame, holding her close as she trembled. Kara kept pleading for Lena not to leave her, to just stay with her, and Lena whispered soft reassurances into her hair, running a hand over the silky blonde locks as she knelt before Kara. Sniffling slightly, Kara drew back, letting her forehead rest against Lena’s, and her bottom lip trembled as she reached up to grab fistfuls of the silk gown Lena wore. Breathing hitching as their noses gently brushed, Kara let out a small whimper. “Please, Lena. Stay with me.”

 

            “I will. I’ll stay.”

 

            “I need you,” Kara murmured, her lips a hairsbreadth away from Lena’s slightly parted ones, her breath hot on Kara’s lips, “I need you to make me feel okay.”

 

            “Okay.”

 

            And then Kara closed the gap between them, her lips softly brushing against Lena’s in the barest hint of a kiss, and she heard the sharp exhale of surprise, before she gently kissed her properly. When she pulled back slightly, their lips were still grazing each other’s, and Kara let out a breathless sob, an aching in her chest as another wave of sickening guilt threatened to overtake her with another round of crying, and then Lena was murmuring that it would be okay against her lips, and Kara was begging her not to comfort her. Pushing herself up off her knees, Lena sat down beside her, her hands tangling in Kara’s hair while Kara clutched to the silk gown, kissing Lena’s cheek, and the corner of her mouth, her jaw, temple and the bridge of her nose - anywhere her lips softly trailed to - fighting back a wave of panic as she swallowed her sobs. Lena let Kara gently kiss her face, all the while whispered sweet reassurances in Kara’s ear, her heart hammering in her chest as she cradled her closely, occasionally letting her lips brush against Kara’s soft hair. And then they were kissing, and Kara wasn’t sure which one of them had instigated it, but they were kissing and Lena’s lips were warm and gentle and firm beneath her own and she was crying again, but they didn’t stop, bathing the room in a bright white light. It eased the pain somehow, making the ache in her chest lessen slightly as Lena touched her so tenderly, making her feel less like the monster she thought she was. There was nothing else to do but let herself get lost in it, knowing that she couldn’t bear the thought of sitting with her thoughts all night, with his face and her bloodstained hands haunting her dreams. 

 

            When they finally slept though, the heavy down covers covering them, while the warmth of Lena pressed up against her bare skin, her head resting on Lena’s shoulder and her arm thrown across her waist, the nightmares came anyway, and Kara bolted upright in her sleep, unable to make it any further before she vomited over the side of the bed, dry heaving as nothing but bile came up, while the image of Mon-El being torn apart was burned into her mind, staggering out of bed and stumbling to her knees, covered in a cold sweat as she hunched over. A quiet sob tore from her throat, the bumps of her spine and ribs visible as she curled in on herself, but then warm hands were hot on her sweaty skin, delicate fingers brushing the hair back out of her face and then guiding her back into bed. Lena’s skin was almost luminous in the moonlight streaming in through the wide windows, and she loomed above Kara, pulling the blanket back over her before she crossed the room, moving around in the kitchen, returning a few moments later with a glass of water, which she held up to Kara’s lips. Holding it with a shaking hand, Kara drank it all, watching as Lena came back with a cloth and some sharp smelling chemical, cleaning up the mess on the floor while Kara lay frozen in bed, unable to even protest against Lena cleaning it up as she breathed in the floral smell surrounding them.

 

\---

 

            It was late in the afternoon when she finally awoke to an empty apartment, feeling so drained that she could barely bring herself to move, frowning as she stared up at the pink flowers that were blooming from the dogwood headboard of the bed, pulling the sheets with her as she struggled upright. Reaching out to touch the perfectly formed petal of one of the flowers, she jumped slightly at the sound of Lena’s voice.

 

            “Yeah, the flowers were a little unexpected,” Lena mused, a look of concern on her face as she stared at Kara from the bathroom doorway, wrapped up in the floral silk robe.

 

            “Hi,” Kara murmured, her cheeks turning pink as she held the sheets to her chest, staring down at the holes that she’d somehow burned into the sheets. Feeling slightly mortified at how out of control her magic had been, Kara gathered the blankets up around her and awkwardly climbed out of bed, and Lena quickly crossed over to her, pausing a few feet away with an uncertain look on her face, unsure of how to act.

 

            “You should rest a little longer,” Lena finally said.

 

            Scoffing, Kara ducked her head down and murmured something about showering, before skirting around Lena and making for the bathroom. Dropping the blanket when the door was safely shut behind her, Kara turned on the hot water and stepped underneath it, letting her skin turn pink from the heat as the whole bathroom steamed up, replacing her goosebumps with the dizzying heat, and she stared at the white tiled wall for a few moments, letting the water run down her back, flinching backwards at the sudden memory of a white robe and ashen skin, run through with fine black veins. Drawing in a shuddering breath, she reached for a lilac bar of lavender soap and scrubbed herself clean, the hard lump of soap almost painful to her tender skin as she washed herself over and over again, almost as if she was trying to take a few layers of skin off. It was her hands that made her wince the most, with the blood still trapped under the fingernails, and the knowledge that they’d torn a man apart within moments. After she stepped out of the shower, dripping water onto the tiled floor, she stood in front of the mirror, staring at her own hands as Lena’s words from months ago came back to her; _  it’s not the killing that’s the hard part, it’s the guilt that comes afterwards. _ That guilt was consuming Kara right now - eating her up inside - and she didn’t know how to process it as she looked at her pale reflection, taking in the haunted look in her eyes. For once, she finally understood how Lena felt, hating the pulsing magic in her veins and wishing she could get rid of it so she could never hurt someone again.

 

            A soft knock on the door broke her out of her brooding thoughts, and Kara picked up a towel, wrapping it tightly around herself, before going to open it. Lena held the plain silk robe up for her in a silent offering, and Kara murmured her thanks as she took it, half closing the door as she ducked back into the bathroom and slipped it on. She didn’t know why she was feeling so awkward - if anything, last night had felt right as Lena chased away some of the pain - but Kara wasn’t so sure it was to do with that. A part of her was too afraid to look into Lena’s eyes and see the knowledge that she was a killer - she didn’t want to see the same pitying look in her eyes that Kara knew she’d given Lena - or the guilt that Lena would feel at letting Kara be the one to do it.

 

            When she reemerged from the bathroom again, there was a cup of tea waiting for her on the small table near the kitchenette, and she silently walked over to it, sitting down across from Lena, who was sipping her own tea while damp locks of hair curled around her face. Neither of them spoke as they drank, and once Lena was finished, she rummaged around in the cupboards, coming up with an unopened box of oats and the carton of long life milk she’d used for their tea, making a heaping pile of oats in a saucepan, and setting a full bowl down in front of Kara. She started eating as soon as she sat down, but Kara did nothing but stare at hers, feeling queasy at the sight.

 

            “You have to eat something,” Lena gently tried to coax her, “you’ll feel better.”

 

            Swallowing the lump in her throat, Kara nodded, knowing that it wouldn’t but knowing that Lena was right that she should eat something. It had been a while since she’d eaten a full meal, instead of rationing it so that she could slip the cuffs past her dislocated thumbs, and she spooned some of the oats into her mouth to appease Lena, finding that having someone to please made her feel a little more normal. At least if she forced herself to eat to make Lena happy, she wouldn’t be spending as much time wallowing in the knowledge that she’d ruthlessly killed someone. The worst part was that she had done it impulsively - it had been a part of their plan, but when he’d tried to attack Lena, she knew whether they’d planned it or not, she’d have scattered his atoms into oblivion to keep Lena safe - and she was trying to come to terms with the fact that she cared for Lena more than she should’ve. That was what Querl had meant. For Lena, she’d killed, and that was something she hadn’t had to do for anyone else, and the food was like glue in Kara’s mouth, finding it hard to swallow the mouthful of oats and the reality of her actions.

 

            It was almost another hour and two more cups of tea before she spoke, her voice hoarse as she stared at the rose patterned teacup Lena had in front of her, the words barely louder than a whisper as she forced them out. “I thought it’d be harder. I thought … doing it would be hard, but it wasn’t. It was easy. You were right when you said killing wasn’t the hard part - it was the guilt.”

 

            “I’m sorry,” Lena softly told her, reaching across the table and letting her hand lay there, palm facing upwards, waiting for Kara to make the first move. “You have no idea how much I wish you hadn’t had to- I know how it feels.”

 

            “No,” Kara flatly replied, “this is different. You killed more but you didn’t want to kill them. I did. I wanted him dead for trying to hurt you. I wanted him dead for every time he put you in danger. I wanted- I wanted us to be safe. I wanted to keep you safe.”

 

            She slowly reached out and placed her hand in Lena’s, watching as the pale fingers wrapped around her hand and Lena gave it a tight squeeze. “I wish I could’ve spared you this.”

 

            “It was my decision.”

 

            “I know, but-“

 

            “Now I understand what I was sparing you from. Now I understand why you hated your own powers. Why you spent eight years hiding from it. Does it ever get any easier?”

 

            Lena gave her hand another reassuring squeeze, “I don’t know. I don’t know if it gets easier or if you just get used to it. You- I can take you to someone though. They can take those memories away from you, if that’s what you want.”

 

            Looking up, Kara met her sad green eyes and felt a pang in her chest. “No. You told me you deserved to live with it; I deserve the same.”

 

            “He was a bad man, Kara.”

 

            “I know. I thought it’d make it easier, when we were planning all of this, but it didn’t. But ... he would’ve hurt everyone I cared about though, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to stop that from happening.”

 

            “Well, he already hurt you,” Lena murmured, her forehead furrowing as she frowned, “how’s your shoulder?”

 

            “It’s healing.”

 

            “I want you to promise me something.”

 

            “That depends.”

 

            Lena let out a soft sigh, giving Kara an exasperated look as she ran her thumb over her knuckles. “I want you to stop trying to protect me. Next time something bad happens - or someone tries to hurt me - don’t take my place. I don’t want you to take my place. It’d hurt me a lot more to watch you suffer than to bear it myself.”

 

            “Why, because we’re friends now?” Kara snorted.

 

            A wry smile on her lips, Lena shrugged slightly, “something like that.”

 

            “I can’t promise you that.”


	24. Chapter 24

            They were locked up inside the small apartment for four days, instead of the promised one, and they both felt as if the walls were closing in on them as they lolled around the place, the tension thick in the air as they avoided talking unless it was necessary. Their nights were spent in the bed, with Kara waking from nightmares to find Lena there, holding her close, while their days were spent ignoring what had happened, while Lena pushed Kara to eat, and they waited for Alex to come and visit them when the barrier disappeared. During those few minutes, Kara would perk up slightly, pulling herself together for her sister’s sake - even though the dark circles under her eyes told the truth - and she’d let out a defeated sigh when Alex told them it’d be another day until their plan to move them was ready. After a few minutes, she’d hug Kara tightly, and then leave again, putting the twenty-four hour barrier back into place, sealing them inside once more. In some ways, those four days were some of the best that Kara had spent since she’d met Lena, with no pressure not to touch or be anything other than they were. Kara didn’t have to explain anything to her, because Lena knew exactly how this felt, on an even larger scale, and it was nice to have someone understand without having to explain it, because the sick and empty feeling was something the she couldn’t quite explain. Mon-El had been a bad person, but he’d been a living, breathing person until she’d torn him apart, and the fact that he’d been trying to kill them didn’t absolve her of her guilt. Although, it did ease it a little, knowing that Lena could’ve been killed or injured even worse than Kara had been when the spell struck her, if she hadn’t thrown herself in its path and cut the head off the snake before it could escalate.

 

            Looking over at Lena, who was dressed in the black clothes Alex had brought her, cooing to the bat draped to her arm - also courtesy of Alex - and her wild curls up in a ponytail, Kara couldn’t stop the clenching in her stomach at the sight of her. In that moment, she knew that if anyone tried to hurt her again, she’d tear them apart just as easily, and would rather the guilt consume her than lose Lena. It was stupid to say it was love, but it was definitely something - infatuation or desire, and definitely some deep affection - and Kara gave her a wary look as she studied her. She couldn’t quite pinpoint the time when she’d decided to put Lena’s safety above her own, but somewhere along the way of their eventful adventure, her feelings had passed those of friendship, and she hadn’t even realised it until she’d just needed someone to hold her. Unsure of Lena’s stance on the whole situation, Kara tiptoed around her during the days, wondering if Lena was so touch starved that what went on in their dark room was just a way to give herself the contact that she’d been missing. Whatever reasons they both had, they never talked about it, and what happened after they went to bed was forgotten by the time the sun rose. 

 

            They would finish their search for the Codex soon, and with a sudden start, Kara realised that they would most likely part ways. She didn’t know where Lena would go, but once they were at the end of their trip, they’d have no more reasons to stay with each other, and a feeling of panic seized Kara’s heart. 

 

            “What is it?”

 

            Looking up, Kara’s eyebrows rose slightly in surprise, and she gave Lena a hesitant smile. “Oh … it’s nothing. I was just thinking about how we’re almost finished. It’s nearly over.”

 

            “You can go home soon,” Lena softly told her.

 

            “You blew it up,” Kara reminded her with an amused smile.

 

            Wincing, Lena grimaced, “oh, right … sorry about that.”

 

            Shrugging, Kara carried a glass of water over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it, wrapping her hands around it. “I mean, I did get you kicked out of your own home, so I guess we’re even. I guess we’ll both be house hunting once we’re finished.”

 

            “I wonder if there are any up in the Appalachians,” Lena mused, a slight smile on her lips, “I’ve always liked the mountains.”

 

            “Appalachians, huh?” Kara murmured, “it’s a bit far.”

 

            “From what?”

 

            “National City. For when I come and visit you,” Kara quietly told her.

 

            Tilting her head to the side, Lena gave her a sad smile, and Kara felt her chest tighten as she swallowed the lump in her throat. She’d miss Lena - that much she knew for sure. She’d miss the sharp wit and the sweet caring nature beneath her cool indifference. She’d miss them bickering and laying on the deck of a yacht, watching the stars, or meditating quietly together, or the excitement in her eyes when she cast a spell that Kara helped her with. Kara had gotten so used to being with someone else that she wasn’t sure she’d know how to be alone anymore. The sound of soft breathing beside her while she slept had become a constant companion, and meagre meals for breakfast while they talked, and relying on someone else to help lend a hand with. There were so many things that she shared with Lena now, and the thought of going back to National City, finding a new apartment - perhaps above a new shop - without Lena there with her, sounded so lonely that Kara almost wished their trip would never end. For all the kidnappings, near death experiences, miserable nights spent sleeping on the hard ground, Kara wouldn’t trade them for anything if it meant she got to spend more time with Lena. 

 

            “Well … perhaps I’ll take my mom up on the deal I made her,” Lena replied, “Metropolis is a lot closer.”

 

            “What was the deal? You never did tell me.”

 

            “I told her that maybe one day I’d go back to her - if I had nothing else left. I’m not sure why I made that deal. I feel like I had a reason …”

 

            “You’ll never have nothing left,” Kara gently assured her, “you’ll always have me.”

 

            “I wouldn’t be here for any other reason,” Lena swiftly replied, a small smile on her lips as she stared at Kara.

 

            Before either of them could say anything else, there was a knock on the door, and then it swung open as Alex walked inside - Maggie, Lucy and J’onn close behind her - and she gave them a small smile. The hallway outside was crowded with others wearing predominantly black, but with a few other coloured robes and cloaks too, and Kara realised that they were ready to go. Within minutes, they were all packed up and ready to go, having few possessions to take with them anyway, and Alex gave them both a reassuring smile as J’onn gave them a rundown on the plan.

 

            “Kara, you’ll go with Alex and myself. Maggie and Lucy have volunteered to take Lena,” J’onn said, giving them both a quick nod as he finished explaining.

 

            “Wait, what? Why are we splitting up?” Kara blurted out, her forehead furrowing in confusion.

 

            “Safety. The Daxamites aren’t the only ones after you, and this’ll help keep you both safe, and everyone who's after you off our tails.”

 

            Kara looked at Lena, who looked equally as put out at the thought of them splitting up - they’d been together this whole time, and neither of them wanted to leave the other behind, even if it was only for a short while - but at the curt nod off Lena, Kara gave her a grim look, knowing that she would have to set her own feelings aside. Maggie and Lucy had both risked their lives to keep them both safe - not just Kara - and she trusted that they would keep Lena safe again this time. Swallowing the lump in her throat, Kara glanced at Alex for a moment.

 

            “Can we, uh, can we have a moment? Please?”

 

            “We really shouldn’t wait,” J’onn insisted.

 

            Taking a step closer to Lena, Kara reached out and gently gripped her shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze, and Lena reached up to cup the side of her neck. It was only a brief moment before they both pulled back, but it went unspoken that they both wanted each other to stay safe. Lena’s eyes turned completely black for a moment, and she gave Kara a reassuring nod, letting her know it would all be fine. Maggie gave Kara a pointed look as she approached, taking up a position beside Lena and threw an arm around her shoulder.

 

            “Don’t worry, we’ll look after her,” Maggie smiled, looking far too cheerful for the sombre mood of the moment. Lucy took up position on Lena’s other side, taking her hand, and then the three of them were gone, including a large portion of the people in the hallway, who were taking up guard points along the way.

 

            Kara was left in the room with Alex and J’onn, and she turned around at her sister’s loud groan. “Please don’t tell me you’re in love with her.”

 

            “You should be grateful you can’t read minds,” J’onn dryly replied, tapping his temple, while Kara’s face flushed red with embarrassment as she spluttered.

 

            “No! Of course I’m not  _ in _ love with her,” Kara scoffed.

 

            “Once again, I can read minds,” J’onn sighed, and Kara’s face turned impossibly redder as Alex laughed.

 

            “Can we just go?” Kara huffed, reaching out to pluck her wisp from the air and tuck it safely in her pocket, and grabbed Alex’s hand before her sister could make another comment.

 

            As soon as J’onn held onto her other hand, they disappeared in a blur, appearing somewhere in the desert, and Kara blinked slightly at the group surrounding them, before she stared down at the compass on her hand, finding it frozen in place. A moment of panic seized her at the thought of something having happened to Lena, but then she realised that it had never moved before, not until she’d met Lena, and without her close by, it probably stopped working. That was why the Seekers had to work together. She didn’t have long to wonder about it before they were off again, and again, landing in the middle of nowhere everytime, an endless stretch of sand and the arrid heat of the desert as they drew in dusty lungfuls of hot air each time. Each time they only spared a few moments to drink some cold water and get their bearings, before they were off again, covering mile after mile in the blink of an eye, with the help of some energy crystals. There were rotations of guards following after them or scouting ahead, but they came into no trouble, and they were well on their way to Monument Valley - to the Worldkiller coven.

 

            With the energy crystals they made good time, but it was still over a day before they made it into Utah, and Kara felt like she was about to drop where she stood when they landed in the middle of the desert again, for the last time. It was pitch black, the sky dotted with tiny pinpricks of stars that were more numerous than Kara was used to seeing in the city, except for large, shadowy bumps on the horizon of the huge rocks rising up from the earth. None of them spoke as they waited in the dark, creating a ring around Kara just in case they were attacked. They weren’t though, and it wasn’t that much longer before a group of dark figures materialised a dozen metres away, and everyone grew tense for a few moments, before they realised it was Lena and her own guards. Kara had to stop herself from rushing over and throwing her arms around her, settling for touching Lena on her covered shoulder, so that she didn’t light up the whole night with their runes.

 

            “We’ve got James, Kal-El and Lois scouting around the perimeter,” Lucy murmured as she conferred with Alex and J’onn, “I’ll send the rest to join them.”

 

            “Good. We’ll go with them just in case. I don’t trust the Worldkillers,” Alex mumbled. 

 

            Kara and Lena were silent as their security was decided, and they followed after Alex and J’onn when they were told to, everyone falling into place around them as they walked towards the towering monoliths. It was hours before they reached the edges of Monument Valley, and then delved deeper into the rising orange and red stone, bathed in white light by the few small lights they allowed themselves to see by. It was a while longer before the air seemed to ripple, and the feeling like walking through water washed over them as they passed into the shadow zone where dark spires of rocks rose out of the earth at angles, creating a giant, misshapen fortress of stone, and a lump formed in Kara’s throat. Here were the answers they’d been waiting for. Walking closer and closer, they didn’t stop until Alex was flung backwards after walking into a barrier, and Kara reached out to steady her sister, frowning slightly in confusion. If they couldn’t pass through, then how were they going to find out what they needed to know?

 

            “Only those granted permission may enter,” an unfamiliar voice said, coming from in front of them, and everyone warily crowded around the Seekers at the strange robed woman.

 

            “Jindah Kol Rozz,” J’onn sighed, “up to your old tricks again. We’ve come for your counsel.”

 

            “J’onn J’onzz, it’s been many years since you sought us out.”

 

            He let out a quiet laugh, “I haven’t been that desperate since the last time.”

 

            “You have both Seekers with you.” She didn’t phrase it as a question, and Kara blinked in surprise as she looked at the robed figure, barely illuminated by their light as she stood just inside the confines of her protective boundary. “Send them through.”

 

            Alex barred Kara’s way, a stubborn look on her face as she jutted her chin forward, “I’m coming with her.”

 

            “What we have to discuss isn’t for you to know, Alexandra,” the woman softly but firmly told her, and Alex seemed to falter slightly at her full name falling from the lips of a stranger. Reaching out, Kara squeezed Alex’s shoulder and reached out for Lena’s hand, setting the desert alight, before she brushed past her and stopped before the barrier. The pressure of it was still pressing against her, and Kara frowned as she pushed against the barrier with her hand, finding herself unable to pass through. “You must make a blood sacrifice,” Jindah told her, and Kara hesitated slightly.

 

            Turning around, she looked at Alex, who looked to Maggie, and was soon handed a small knife, which she pricked the tip of her finger with, before handing it to Lena, who did the same. The knife was returned to Maggie’s sheath, and then they both pressed against the barrier with their bloodied fingers, passing straight through it at the contact. Inside the confines of the barrier, Kara glanced back over her shoulder, her hand back in Lena’s, and gave Alex a quick nod and a small smile, trying to reassure her that they’d be fine. Lena still had on the cuffs nullifying her magic, but Kara would protect them both if the Worldkillers tried something funny. So far, everything was going well, and they quickly followed along after the woman, watching the headquarters grow impossibly big as they neared it, and then ventured into the darkness. The tunnel was long and pitch black, their footsteps echoing and the dryness of the air parching their throats, and they didn’t dark hold hands then, knowing that they would do well not to pry too much while they were in here, and come only for the reason they’d come in the first place. Neither of them wanted to linger too long in there.

 

            When they finally came out into a large foyer bathed in red light, they were met by another robed figure, their back to them, and watched as they slowly turned around and lowered their hood. Brown hair and eyes and tanned skin were revealed, with black runes covering every inch of the woman’s face, and she smiled at them as they gave her a wary look. 

 

            “Kara Zor-El. Lena Luthor,” she said, her voice soft as she slowly walked towards them, rounding stalagmites as the hem of her robe slithered over the floor. “Welcome. My name is Reign.” Turning to the other woman, who had since lowered her hood to reveal an aged rune covered face, Sam nodded to her, “thank you Jindah.”

 

            The woman left, and Reign beckoned for them to follow after her, turning and walking through a dark tunnel opposite to the one they’d come in through. It wasn’t a long walk, and it was lit with red witchlights the whole way, before they came to a set of stone double doors, and Reign pressed a hand against it, waiting as they opened with a deep grating sound, before she walked into the room, which illuminated as she walked inside, revealing a bare room with nothing more than an altar and a few statues of the old Gods.

 

            “You come from National City,” Reign said. “Tell me something; have you seen a young girl there? Her name is Ruby.”

 

            “Ruby Arias?” Kara asked, her eyes widening slightly, “yes, my sister knows her quite well. She tried to steal my wisp.”

 

            Reign let out a loud laugh, smiling as she looked at Kara and Lena, giving them a small shrug, “she’s my daughter.”

 

            Kara’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, watching as the aloof mask around the Worldkiller was shed, replaced with a more visibly relaxed and warmer woman. “Oh … what-”

 

            “We send our young out into the world at ten years old so that they can learn to survive alone. A sort of initiation into the coven … if they come back,” Reign explained, a slightly disapproving look on her face, “my daughter’s been gone for two years. It sounds like she’s doing well.”

 

            “So … you’re the coven leader?” Lena asked after a few moments, “I was expecting someone else.”

 

            “Yes, the last time you were here there was another Reign. We met when you were here - you may not remember me; I went by Samantha. Sam,” Reign said, “my new name comes with the mantle.

 

            “You’ve been here before?” Kara asked, turning to look at Lena with surprise.

 

            Scoffing, Lena frowned at her, a wary look on her face, “no. Of course I haven’t. I would’ve told you.”

 

            “But you didn’t want to come here,” Kara reminded her. 

 

            “Well … no,” Lena slowly said.

 

            Sam cocked her head to the side, her dark hair swishing around her shoulders as she looked at Lena, “but you did. With your mother, if I recall.” Walking over to her, Reign walked behind them, and Kara saw Lena stiffen as her t-shirt was lifted. “To find out what these meant.”

 

            “No, that’s impossible,” Lena objected, feeling her t-shirt fall back into place, “I would remember if I’d been here before. I’d know what the runes said.”

 

            Kara watched with confusion as Reign took Lena’s face in her hands, her eyes turning red for a moment while Lena stood frozen in place. She had no idea what was going on, and she had to stop the magic from flooding to her fingertips and bathing the whole room white, watching as Lena stared up at the woman before her with wide green eyes. The tension in the air grew as they all waited in silence, and then Reign pulled her hands back, blinking rapidly as she stared at Lena with surprise.

 

            “Someone’s tampered with your memories.”

 

            “No, I would know if-” Lena protested, before she fell silent, reaching into her pocket and pulling something out. 

 

            Craning her neck slightly to look, Kara watched as she uncurled her fingers, revealing the small yellow marble nestled in the palm of her hand. The memory she’d turned over to Querl. He’d told her not to use it until she was ready to be honest, and Lena had an inkling that that moment was now. Tossing the marble at the floor, it cracked, and yellow wisps smoke curled up from it, enveloping Lena and disappearing into her mouth, while she gasped for air, until it was all gone and she was blinking as she got her bearings. Then she turned even whiter than usual as all the blood drained from her face and she stared at Kara with wide eyes, full of horror and sadness, and she heaved slightly as if she was going to be sick, turning away from Lena.

 

            Hurrying after her, Kara’s face was etched with concern, a hand outstretched as she reached for Lena. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

 

            “The runes,” Reign answered for her, a sombre look on her face, “she remembers what they say now.”

 

            “What do they say? That’s why we’re here.”

 

            “They say that Rao and Cythonna worked together and made a secret fortress. Far away, in solitude. Only Rao’s Flamebird and Cythonna’s Nightwing are permitted entry in there. The light and the dark. Over millennia that part has been forgotten, and the two witches or wizards who went looking for the fortress were called Seekers. No one knows what the Gods hid in there, but whatever it is … it needs a sacrifice.”

 

            “What … what kind of sacrifice?” Kara hesitantly asked, not sure she wanted to hear the answer.

 

            Reign paused, her eyes sliding over to Lena, who had her head down and one hand braced on her hip as she stared down at the rough stone floor. With a weary sigh, Reign looked back at Kara and waved her hand slightly, watching as her white aura was summoned to life, and gave Kara a pitying look.

 

            “The runes say … the Codex demands a sacrifice … you have to sacrifice the light.”

 

            “The light,” Kara hollowly echoed, looking down at the white light that surrounded her. “Sacrifice the light. You- you mean me? I have to … die?”

 

            Her stomach clenched as dread filled her, and she opened and closed her mouth a few times as the words sunk in, and then realisation dawned on her as she recalled all the times Lena had snapped that they both might not make it out, or all the times she’d so clearly been keeping something from Kara, and the time she’d given up her biggest secret to Querl. Her biggest secret was that Kara was going to die.

 

            “You _knew_ ,” Kara hoarsely said as she blinked back tears. “You knew all this time and you didn’t tell me.”

 

            “I tried,” Lena replied, her voice cracking as she spoke. “I warned you so many times. I wanted- I didn’t know how to tell you. And then I didn’t know because I gave it to Querl. I never would’ve … with you … if I’d known. I wouldn’t have lied to you and then … I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I couldn’t remember.”

 

            “You had months to tell me!” Kara exclaimed, a wounded look on her face as she looked up, staring at Lena, who had her hands threaded through her hair, clutching fistfuls of it. “You almost told me in the Bayou, didn’t you? Before you gave it up.”

 

            “Yes.”

 

            “Why didn’t you?”

 

            Lena finally looked at her, a stiff look on her face as she stared at Kara, a flicker of fear in her eyes, “because how do you tell someone they’re going to die?”

 

            A hysterical laugh escaped Kara, and she blinked back tears as she gave Lena a wry smile, “didn’t I deserve to know what I was giving up? So that I could’ve- I could’ve spent more time with my family when I had the chance. Now … I’ve been running for months, and Alex … and Eliza and Winn- I’ve run out of time.”

 

            “I’m sorry.”

 

            “You should’ve _told_ me.”

 

            “I wanted to fix it,” Lena told her, a pleading look on her face. “Querl told me to come here. My question … I asked how to save you. He said I’d find the answer I needed here.”

 

            Reign softly cleared her throat, interrupting them and startling them both as they returned to the moment, realising that the witch was still standing there. She gave Lena a pitying look, grimacing as she shook her head, “the answer you need is that there’s no way to stop it. The prophecy is clear. It’s written into your own skin. Sacrifice the light. These three runes …” she drew them in the air as she spoke, the symbols burning a purplish red before her, “that’s what they mean. I'm sorry.”

 

            Kara turned around and walked back through the doors, the weight of her fate settling on her shoulders as her mind reeled. She was a sacrifice this whole time. Everything she’d dreamed of this being was riding on her giving up her life for something she wasn’t even sure was worth it. A part of her couldn’t help but wonder if other Seekers had made it this far - perhaps even to the very gates of this fortress - only to find that they couldn’t go through with it. Could she sacrifice herself so that Lena could finally solve the puzzle that she hadn’t even wanted to? The entire trip she’d protested against finding what they were looking for, and it finally made sense to Kara. In her forest in her dying shadow zone, Lena had been safe with the knowledge that her other half wouldn’t have to die if they never made it to this fortress, but when Kara had dragged her from the shallow grave, she’d set things into motion, and Lena had been helpless to stop it. It might’ve been a kinder fate to let her drown, or waste away in a Daxamite prison, or killed by Zod, or succumb to any of the other dozen ways they’d almost died on this trip. To come so far - almost to the very end - and then realise that she was a dead witch either way, was laughable, and as she walked back through to the foyer, and then straight back through the dark tunnel they’d come in through, she couldn’t help but laugh, the sounding echoing around her, while Lena’s hurried footsteps chased after her. By the time they made it to the front doors again, Kara was crying. 

 

            “I’m sorry, Kara Zor-El, I wish I could’ve offered you better news,” Reign softly said, just before Kara walked out of the mouth of the tunnel.

 

            “Thank you for your time,” Kara murmured, wiping at her wet cheeks. Hesitating slightly, she looked in Lena’s general direction, not quite looking  _ at  _ her, and with grim determination, set her shoulders. “Don’t tell Alex.”

 

            Stepping out into the arrid heat of the valley, Kara paused at the flashing lights lighting up the darkness, realising that people were fighting, and she quickly sprinted towards the lights, hearing Lena call after her. Right as she stepped outside the boundary, she was met by Alex’s wide brown eyes staring right at her, and realised that one of the wizards was Zod, and there were a few Daxamites thrown in there too, which meant that everyone had banded together to come after the Seekers, and Kara and Lena had to get out of there as soon as possible.

 

            White magic flickered around Kara’s fingertips as she prepared to jump into the fight and have her sister’s back, but Alex was already pushing her way over to her, green light trailing from her hands. “Kara, get out of here! Both of you get out of here!”

 

            “What? No! I’m not  _ leaving  _ you!” Kara protested, worried that if they left now, she might now see her sister again.

 

            “Kara, go!” Alex snapped, and when Kara opened her mouth to protest, Alex looked at Lena, melted the cuffs right off her wrists, and pushed her sister straight into her arms with a stiff nod.

 

            The two of them were gone before Kara could stop Lena.


	25. Chapter 25

            Kara’s knees buckled as they slammed back onto the dusty earth, collapsing onto the orange sand as soon as Lena let her go, before struggling to her feet and whirling around. “What did you  _ do?”  _ Kara exclaimed, her face white with fear, “they’re all out there fighting - my  _ sister’s  _ there!”

 

            “She knows what she’s doing, Kara,” Lena said, reaching for her in the dark, her hands falling uselessly to her sides when Kara stumbled backwards, away from her. “I’m sorry. They’re after us though. If you want to save Alex, then we should put as much distance between us and her as we can.”

 

            “No,” Kara stubbornly refused, her eyes prickling with tears, “no. That can’t be the last time I see her. I can’t- not before I get to say goodbye.”

 

            In the soft light coming from the wisp, Lena’s face was bathed blue, and a look of regret crossed her face, her eyes begging Kara to understand, and she let out a small sigh. “I’m sorry. Being near her now would only hurt her. We’re better off finding somewhere to hide for a while. The Appalachians. We could hide away there, and I can get new cuffs, and no one will know where we are. We could live without our magic; they’d give up eventually, and then you could leave.”

 

            Kara blanched slightly, a hesitant look on her face as she stared at Lena, “you want to  _ stop?” _

 

            “What do you mean, I want to stop? Of  _ course  _ I want to stop! I don’t want you to- I don’t want to lose you. I never wanted to come on this trip, but I came for  _ you _ . And I don’t want to keep going anymore.”

 

            Swallowing the lump in her throat, Kara kicked up some sand, the stinging grains blowing towards Lena. Finally, Kara’s head came up, and she gave Lena a hard look. “I won’t give up now. I knew the risk when we started out - now it’s time to finish what I started.”

 

            “Kara-”

 

            “I  _ have _ to,” she said, her voice cracking slightly, “I have to finish it.”

 

            Lena grabbed her by her shoulders - careful not to touch her bare skin - and gave her a gentle shake, “Kara, you will  _ die _ . Do you understand that?” she snapped, her voice breaking as she stared at her with wide green eyes, full of fear and barely controlled panic. “If you do this, you’re going to die.”

 

            “I know.”

 

            “I won’t be a part of this.”

 

            “But I _need_ you.”

 

            An almost hysterical laugh fell from Lena’s lips, and her face crumpled slightly as she looked at Kara. “I need you too. You’re all I have. I told my mom that if the day came when I had nothing left, I’d go back to her, and if I lose you … there’s nothing else here for me. What kind of life am I going to live without you in it? I can’t walk you to your death. There has to be another way.”

 

            Kara sighed, reaching out to gently grab her by the waist, the barest hint of a smile on her lips and a warm look in her eyes, “Lena, you know there isn’t. We were picked for this - me and you - and it’s our duty to finish it.”

 

            “Well I didn’t  _ ask _ to be picked for this!”

 

            “If I don’t finish it, I’m going to die anyway - maybe not for a year, or maybe not for fifty, but I  _ will _ die - and that means that when we’re both gone, there’ll be two new Seekers. That means that someone else has to die.”

 

            “Then you let them!” Lena exclaimed.

 

            Sighing, Kara gave her a weary look and shook her head, “I’m going either way. I don’t care if the compass works or not … I’ll find it myself, and I’ll bring Alex with me.”

 

            Her eyes turned white as white light enveloped her completely, and before she could disappear, Lena lunged for her, tightly grabbing hold of her arm and whisking them away. It was a few disorienting moments before they materialised in a patch of the desert that was identical in the pitch black, and Kara wasn’t sure where Lena had taken them, only that it hadn’t been back to Alex. Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to swallow her anger and the harsh words on the tip of her tongue, and in the dim light coming from Kal-Ex, she could see the apologetic look on Lena’s face.

 

            “You want to stop more people from dying? Fine, I’ll come with you. But  _ just _ me and you. There’s no going back now - Alex can’t help us - and I’ll walk you right up to your death if that’s what you’re asking me to do,” Lena stiffly told her, brimming with tension as she gave Kara a cold look.

 

            “I am.”

 

            Then they were gone in another blur. Over and over again they took turns evanescing them across the country, through what seemed like an endless stretch of desert, burning their skin and making their lips crack from the searing heat when they had to walk after their magic ran out, and the bone chilling cold of it in the night, when they had only the stars to guide them as they struggled up dunes of soft sand and through rocky patches with sparse grass barely clinging to life. When they made it out of Utah, they skirted through northern Colorado and into Nebraska, walking through fields of brown in stolen clothes, sneaking food from the small town gas stations and grocery stores, huddling together at night time for warmth as the cold October weather swept through the state. On and on they went, through Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, before they started bearing north, following the path of the compass on Kara’s hand. The weather grew colder as they travelled, and October gave way to November, their walking accompanied by endless deluges of rain, soaking them to their core as they miserably trudged along. Some nights they were able to find shelter, but when they had to sleep outside, they shivered all night, curled up side by side in cheap sleeping bags they’d stolen.

 

            It was December when they finally crossed the border from America into Canada, leaving behind the frozen lakes and snow covered towns of Maine for the slick, icy streets of Quebec. They raided a ski shop there, passing through charming streets of brick houses, covered with a light dusting of snow and decorated for Christmas, and both of them felt warmer with their thick layers of thermal clothes, which Kara charmed to stay warm as they hid in a doorway, nursing cups of hot chocolate and making their way through the food Lena had stolen. Some days, Kara expected Alex to show up and find them, knowing that her sister would have Maggie on their tails, but as they travelled, she realised that she preferred it being just her and Lena. It had been them for so much of their trip, that finishing it together just seemed like the right thing to do - given how it had to end - and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to finish it if her sister came with her. In some ways, it was easier not having to say goodbye to those she loved, because she wouldn’t have to pretend that she was okay. Lena knew the truth, and she didn’t expect Kara to keep a brave face the whole way there, but she was brooding and quiet most of the time, tense with nervous anger as she took every hated step towards what they were looking for. 

 

            The snow grew thicker as they made their way north, and outside of the cities and towns, they had to struggle for every foot of ground they made, their feet sinking into the snow as they struggled through mountains, coming perilously close to losing their footing sometimes. Still, they went north-easterly, and by the time they reached the coast, the grey water heaving as it crashed onto the frozen shore, January had come and they were both staring out at the horizon.

 

            “Keep going?” Lena asked, her breath visible before her in the freezing cold air. They were in full winter gear, looking like they were ready for a trip to the Arctic, and as they stared off the coast of Bathurst Inlet, knowing that there were dozens of islands off the shore, they had a feeling that this Fortress of Solitude that they were looking for wasn’t in Nunavut. They didn’t have much option to go anywhere else - there were perhaps a dozen small buildings at the edge of the coastline, with very few people living in the area, and winter having chased away any of the lush landscapes that would’ve provided for them in the summer while they rested a while - and Kara nodded, her teeth chattering slightly and her lips scabbed and cracked from the freezing cold as she took a sip of water from her canteen, which she’d had to charm to keep the water from freezing. They both pulled their ski masks up to cover their mouth and nose, and reached out for each other, knowing that they had to get their aim perfect, of they’d fall into the freezing sea. They made it though, landing near Cambridge Bay on Victoria Island, and kept going, now following the compass dead north, both of them feeling exhausted as they dragged their feet through the snow, occasionally checking that they were going in the right direction. They island hopped all the way to the very edge, before they gave way to the Arctic Circle, and they were presented with a frozen tundra, the glassy ice almost turquoise in the weak sunlight, and everything a blinding white for miles around. Kara could almost feel the weight of her fate slowing her down as it weighed heavily on her shoulders, and with each step she took, she had to tell herself she wasn’t afraid. The part that really worried her was that Lena would be out here alone - it had taken them months to traverse two countries on foot and with magic, and it would take her twice as long on the way back - with no one for company and with the knowledge that Kara was gone. Kara didn’t want to leave her. Not just for her own selfish reasons, but for Lena’s own safety, and her fear only grew as they crossed ice floes and crossed treacherous canyons of slippery ice, helping each other keep their balance so they didn’t fall. At night they would huddle together, and Kara would hold a small ball of fire in her hands to keep them warm, heating herself up as she in turn let the warmth seep into Lena, who it seemed never stopped shivering, although she didn’t complain once. 

 

            January was fading when they reached a place, which they both assumed was near the middle of the continent, the air thick with the metallic smell of magic and the feeling of wards and barriers. It had been a long trip, and Kara felt a sort of nervous excitement at the realisation that they were almost there, looking towards Lena, who was staring straight at the massive mountain of ice rising before them. It was somewhere in there, and they both knew it.

 

            “We should rest here awhile,” Lena murmured, her voice muffled by her mask, and she unceremoniously collapsed to the ground, with Kara quick to follow. They still had a few hours of daylight left, and Kara would have to fly them to the top of the mountain, so she needed all the rest she could get.

 

            “Here, have some water,” Kara immediately said, offering her canteen to Lena, who gratefully drank from it before handing it back. There wasn’t much left, and Kara drained the rest of it, wondering if she should bother filling it back up - it wasn’t like she’d need it for the trip home - and with a sigh, she stuffed it back into her pack, feeling her stomach twist with nerves.

 

            Lena was quiet - she had been growing quieter and quieter over the past few months, silently following Kara’s lead, and sometimes, when it was late and they were both too tired to keep going, she’d silently hold Kara close, her lips brushing her hair and shoulder, or she’d stroke Kara’s cheek and stare at her with such intensity that Kara wondered if she was trying to memorise her face. Somewhere along the way, she’d resigned herself to the fact that Kara was going to die.

 

            “Can you tell me that story about how you made the volcano on Lurvan erupt again?” Lena asked after a few moments, chewing on a bland vacuum packed meal that they’d filled their bags up with.

 

            “Why?”

 

            Lena shrugged, her chapped lips quirking up into a quick smile, “it’s funny.”

 

            Letting out a quick laugh, Kara sighed, leaning closer to her as she launched into the story again, while Lena drank in every inch of her, closely watching the way that Kara talked with her hands, and the way that she described things, and they way that her shoulders looked beneath the puffy jacket. She memorised all of it, and her heart wrenched at the thought of how much she’d miss this - how much she was going to miss with Kara. Somewhere along the way, they’d become more than friends, and Lena was hesitant to put a word to her feelings, but she knew that she loved Kara. She couldn’t bear the thought of losing her, and it hurt her to think that they’d be separated soon - for good.

 

            At some point, they’d both drifted off to sleep, curled up in each other’s arms - for the last time - shivering slightly as a howling wind tore across the frozen landscape, covering them with a fine dusting of snow. It wasn’t until a searing hot sensation tore Lena from her sleep that she realised something was wrong. The sleeve of her puffy jacket was smoking slightly in the cold, and a red circle was burned into her arm, while a wisp floated nearby. A green wisp. Scrambling backwards, the snow soft beneath her hands and feet, Lena looked up at the impeccably dressed man standing before her. He was wearing a black suit, despite the cold, and his lips looked a little blue as they turned up into a smirk, one eyebrow arched and a smug look on his face that was so like their mother’s that Lena felt her heart seize with terror. Almost as if she felt the fear radiating off Lena, Kara stirred beneath the dusting of snow, slowly sitting up and then letting out a small sound of surprise when she saw the dark figure looming out of the dazzling brightness of the Arctic.

 

            “Sister,” Lex drawled, “you’ve led me on quite a chase. I doubt I would’ve found you without my wisp.”

 

            “What’re you doing here?” Lena hoarsely asked.

 

            He laughed as he brushed flecks of snow off the cuff of his suit, “I’ve come to collect what’s mine, of course. The Codex. When you finally retrieve it for me, of course.”

 

            Lena would’ve paled slightly if she wasn’t already half frozen and feeling as if her skin was blue, and she ground her teeth together as Kara slowly rose to her feet, coming to stand beside her and thread their gloved hands together. “I’m not giving you anything,” Lena stiffly replied, knowing that she would never let her brother have whatever it was they found - not at the cost of a life. 

 

            “I think that you will,” he said, thrusting a hand out and clenching it into a fist as he dragged Kara forward with the invisible hold he had on her, and she was powerless to stop him, finding her hands pinned to her sides, her toes barely skimming the snow as she hovered in mid-air.

 

            “Let her go,” Lena warned him, her voice low with anger and her hands trailing black smoke.

 

            “Are you going to fight me?” he laughed, “so be it. Here, I brought these for you.”

 

            He let Kara drop to the ground, and she scuttled backwards, hitting Lena’s legs and scrambling to her feet, her hands protectively reaching out as she half-crouched before Lena, a stubborn set to her shoulders and a fierce grimness in her eyes, behind the goggles she was wearing. With a loud clap, Lex spread his arms out, and they watched as dark figures shambled towards them out of the snowstorm that had started to rise, making them indistinguishable, until they neared. And then Kara felt her knees buckle and her gorge rise as she took in the three figures making their way towards them. One of them was a dark haired man, his dark skin still visible, and the clothes he wore not yet rotted away, and Lena felt herself freeze as she stared at him.

 

            “Jack?” she breathed, taking a step towards him, before she realised that he was dead. There was nothing in the empty eye sockets, and no life in his movement as he dragged himself forward, a moving corpse. With disgust, she realised that her brother had reanimated his corpse with Necromancy - no doubt to catch her off guard as she looked at the man who had cared for her, and had died because of her - and she felt a burning hatred rise up inside. 

 

            Kara had froze as well as she looked at the other two, little more than skeletons with crumbling rags and patches of hair and dried, leathery skin stuck to their bones. She knew the necklace around the one corpses throat though, and the crest on the threadbare blue robe the other one was wearing, and she had to fight back the nausea that threatened to overwhelm her as she stared at them both. “Mom? Dad?”

 

            “You’ve both killed a lot of people for this,” Lex sighed, “I hope you’re proud of yourself. Of course, there  _ were _ others, but you tore them into oblivion, and I doubt I’d be able to find all the pieces to put them back together.”

 

            “You bastard,” Kara snarled.

 

            “Ignore him, Kara,” Lena murmured from behind her, “don’t let him get inside your head. Your parents are dead - this is a cheap trick.”

 

            They were brave words coming from someone who didn’t feel brave at all as she faced one of the few people who had been kind to her in her life, and Lena fought back a flurry of panic as she lashed out dismantled the shambling corpse, tearing Jack apart and watching as the pieces of him collapsed to the snow as the magic holding him together dissolved. She did the same for Kara’s parents, the clattering of their bones as they fell to pieces seeming loud and ominous in the barren wasteland as the three living souls stood together in the swirling snowstorm. 

 

            “Lena, what do we do?” Kara muttered.

 

            Hesitating for a moment, Lena let her black aura flare to life, completely enveloping her. “We kill him.”

 

            With a grim nod, Kara was a blazing light of white magic and she took a step towards Lex, who was wrapped in green light, “stay back.”

 

            “Kara-”

 

            “You’ve been hurt before. I won’t let you kill your own blood and feel it all again,” Kara said, pausing for a moment, “let me do this for you.”

 

            Faltering, Lena sharply exhaled, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to face her brother without feeling some small part of her want to spare him, and she knew they couldn’t afford to let him live. She didn’t want Kara to have to kill again, but she knew she was their best bet of ridding themselves of Lex. “Okay.”

 

            “Don’t look,” Kara softly told her, and then she was moving as a blur towards the black suited man across from her, and Lena closed her eyes, curling in on herself as she sank to the ground, not wanting to watch one of them die, but praying that it was her brother who would.

 

            It felt like forever, and she seemed invisible as she listened to the crackling spells and loud explosions as stray magic hit chunks of ice, spraying them with stinging shards of it, and the metallic smell in the air grew heavy. She listened to the ragged breaths and snarls of anger that came from the two of them as they thought, and still she didn’t open her eyes. In the end, she couldn’t take it any longer though - she was no coward - and she climbed to her feet, letting the pure, wild magic overcome her, and she stood with Kara, fighting against her brother as she let all the rage she’d bottled up for eight years come rushing out of her. Lena realised that for her, it had been him all along. Her brother had always been the villain in her story, and everything had led up to this point, and he was too weak to match the unrivaled power of the Seekers. Despite Kara’s best efforts to protect her, Lena steeled herself for the killing blow - to take her brother’s like - and just as she was about to tear him to pieces, just like he’d used her hands to do all those years ago to their own father, Lena faltered, her eyes black and unfocused as she was swept into a vision.   
  


            Lena didn’t see the moment that Kara’s flame covered hand was thrust through the tailored suit jacket Lex was wearing, and into his chest, gripping his heart in her hand and burning him up from the inside, until he was nothing more than ash gently blowing in the wind as the snowstorm washed away any remnants of him. The next thing she was aware of was Kara gently shaking her and coaxing her back to the present, and Lena opened her eyes to see a bleeding Kara, her snowsuit shredded and stained with blood, and Lena let out a sob of relief, throwing her arms around her and holding her tight as she shook. Kara let out a soft sigh and returned the tight embrace, trembling all over as she felt the adrenaline fade, leaving behind an emptiness that was only filled with Lena’s presence. It didn’t matter now anyway - it didn’t matter if she was empty inside, because she’d be dead soon. 

 

            The reminder of her impending death made Kara stiffen, and she gently pushed Lena back, giving her a searching look, before she gathered her up into her arms and shot off into the sky. It was now or never - they’d made it this far, and all of their enemies were gone now - and Kara flew them to the top of the mountain. The wind buffeted her as she tried to keep them steady, and she dipped and wavered with the air currents, her teeth ground together with the effort it took to keep them afloat, and it was a relief when she had her feet planted on the icy mountain - a grim relief, with the knowledge that she’d survived all manner of things on their trip, to make it up to the point of her death. All of those near death experiences had been leading up to this one moment, and she felt a small flicker of humour inside at the thought of how many people wanted her dead. They were about to get their wish.

 

            It took them they better part of half an hour to find the concealed entrance to the fortress, a rune etched into the ice, and they both stared at each other for a few moments, before they took their gloves off, joined hands, and pushed against the ice. White and black twined together, and a smoky grey flowed through the pattern of the rune, which turned an inky black, just like their tattoos, and with a deep grating sound of ice on ice, the doors swung inwards. They barely dared to breathe as they watched red and blue witchlights flare to life, bathing the room in an eerie light, and with the quick squeeze of Lena’s hand, her stomach clenching with apprehension, Kara stepped over the threshold.

 

            The whole place thrummed with old magic, and Lena lowered her hood and pulled her goggles off as she looked around the huge cavern. It was carved out of the very ice of the mountain, with large statues of a man and a woman holding up the arched ceiling. Rao and Cythonna, she realised after a few moments. The cavern was sparsely furnished, with only statues and symbols belonging to the Gods worshipped on Krypton, as well as stalagmites and stalactites jutting from the floor and roof, and a massive pool in the middle, glowing with a white light. They moved further into the cavern, which was surprisingly warm after the freezing cold outside, and they began to shed their layers, leaving a path of ski gear to the middle of the room. Lena watched as Kara peered into the depths of the pool, finding nothing but a swirling light, and began to circle it, her blue eyes filled with fear and awe as she looked around the place. A small crease between her eyebrows betrayed the confusion she was feeling though as she looked around the place.

 

            “Where’s the Codex? Is there like a book or something? A goblet? A secret room that I need to- to die for to open?” Kara said, her voice echoing in the large space. 

 

            “No,” Lena murmured, staring across the wide pool as she watched Kara glance down at her hand, frowning when she realised the needle was pointing back towards Lena. 

 

            She rounded the pool again, watching as the needle kept a constant course pointed right at it, and her eyebrows rose in surprise. “It’s the pool. The Codex is the pool.”

 

            “Yes.”

 

            Blue eyes met Lena’s green ones, and her legs almost buckled at the look in Kara’s eyes. Lena felt such an intense ache in her heart that it was physically painful, and she felt her knees threatening to give out beneath her as she stared at Kara, watching her take a deep breath, readying herself to sacrifice her life. They didn’t even know what they were going to get out of this. 

 

            After a few moments, Kara blinked rapidly a few times and stepped towards Lena, reaching out to pick up her hands. “Lena.”

 

            “Sh, it’s okay,” Lena murmured, “it’s going to be fine.”

 

            She let out a broken laugh, her blue eyes swimming with tears. “I know it will. You’re here with me. Can you- can you do me a favour when you get back? Can you tell Eliza first? I think Alex will take it better if it comes from her.”

 

            Blinking back tears, Lena nodded, “sure.”

 

            “And you’ll take care of yourself?” Another small nod and Kara seemed to deflate, and then she reached out to cup Lena’s face in her hands, her smile so warm and full of love that Lena couldn’t help the small sob that escaped her. “Thank you, Lena.”

 

            “I’d do it all again, you know,” Lena said, her voice cracking as she reached up to cover Kara’s hand with her own, “every moment. I think I could’ve fallen in love with you. I think I already am.”

 

            Kara let out a small sob, the tears in her eyes spilling over and running down her cheeks, freezing before they could drip off her chin, “I think I am too.”

 

            With a bitter smile, Lena nodded, her own eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Don’t be afraid.”

 

            “I’m not afraid; I have you here with me. There’s no one else I’d rather be here with. Here … this is for you,” Kara said, plucking Kal-Ex out of the air and holding it out to Lena, “it has memories in there. Memories of us. I want you to be happy Lena … maybe you could think of me sometimes.”

 

            Silently nodding, Lena let her hand close around the wisp, feeling a small jolt as the wisp bound itself to her, and she tucked it in her pocket. Lena pulled her into a tight hug then, shaking as she held her close, memorising the feeling of Kara in her hands, and how she always smelled like fresh air and salt and sunlight, and she let out a shaky breath. This was it. A few moments later, Kara pulled back, cupping Lena’s face in her hands again, and Lena reached out to cup Kara’s in her own.

 

            “Don’t look,” Lena whispered, “it’ll be over in a second.”

 

            Nodding, Kara’s eyes drank in the sight of her once more before fluttering closed, and then Lena leant in and touched her lips to Kara’s, a gentle kiss that became rougher and needier as she kissed her for the last time. And then Lena’s hands were gone, and Kara’s fell uselessly to her side as she opened her eyes despite herself, her face going slack when she took in the sight of Lena perched on the edge of the pool.

 

            “Lena,” Kara said, her voice shaking as she stared at her with wide eyes, “get down from there.”

 

            “I can’t,” Lena said, her voice trembling, despite her attempt to be brave, “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you go through with this.”

 

            “This isn’t your sacrifice to make,” Kara told her, “it’s mine. I’m the light.”

 

            Lena let out a quick laugh, wiping at her wet cheeks, “no. We got it wrong, Kara. My vision just before … it’s me. I’m the sacrifice. It’s a sacrifice  _ to  _ the light, not sacrifice  _ the  _ light. I didn’t realise it until we saw Reign, but the rune is the same for both meanings. It can be either of us.”

 

            “Then let me do it,” Kara begged, taking a step towards her.

 

            “No. The future is already written,” Lena said, “let me do this, Kara. I’m tired. I’m  _ so  _ tired. I don’t want to live forever, afraid of what I’ll do with my magic. I don’t want to go back to my old life. I’ve killed so many people … let me save  _ you _ . Let me do this for you. I have nothing left without you. You have a family, you have friends. Go home to them. Live a long and happy life.”

 

            “I won’t be happy without you,” Kara sobbed. 

 

            “You will. You were happy before me. You'll make it back to that,” Lena said, giving her a wavering smile, “now, close your eyes. It’ll be over in a second.”

 

            “Lena!” Kara exclaimed, her voice thin and high pitched as she felt fear take hold of her heart.

 

            “Goodbye, Kara.” 

 

            Lena gave her a sad smile, and as Kara reached out, as if to pull her back off the ledge, Lena let herself fall backwards, the swirling white light rushing up to meet her, and dragged her down into its depths. Kara couldn’t stop the pitiful whimper that fell from her lips as she reached out for empty air.


	26. Chapter 26

            She wasn’t sure how long she lay curled up beside the pool, while the pain consumed her completely - Kara was unsure if it was physical or not - but the next thing she was aware of was Alex kneeling beside her. Half frozen and stiff, Kara let her sister pull her up into a sitting position, her limbs uncooperative and limp as she stared past Alex with glassy eyes.

 

            “Lena. Have you seen her?” Kara numbly mumbled, feeling jostled as Alex shook her, saying something that she couldn’t hear over the faint ringing in her ears, the shock having not worn off yet. “I can’t find Lena.”

 

            Another rough shake, and Kara stiffly jerked her head around, blinking slowly with wide, owlish eyes as she tried to focus on her sister. The pain was a dull throb all over, and she felt as if she’d been burnt up, from the inside out. Her mind was foggy, and she frowned slightly as she tried to make sense of what was happening. Lena had been here - that much she was sure of - but she couldn’t find her now. There had been a blindingly bright light too, an endless swirling vortex in the pool as it illuminated the icy cavern and its statues of the Gods, yet Kara was huddled in the dark now, the only light coming from the witchlights that the assembled witches and wizards conjured, carving narrow beams through the dark fortress.

 

            “Kara!” Alex sharply said, “what happened? Where’s Lena?”

 

            “Lena?” Kara murmured, “I don’t know. I don’t-” And then she was sobbing, feeling her heart splinter as she curled in on herself and was overcome by darkness again, feeling it sweep over her and lull her into nothingness.

 

            She wasn’t sure how long she was left in oblivion, but the next time she opened her eyes, she was staring up at a white ceiling, a harsh yellow witchlight trapped in a lamp that dangled from the middle of the ceiling. Turning her head to the side, Kara let out a small groan, her eyes fluttering as she struggled to keep them open. Every inch of her hurt, and she wasn’t sure where she was, what day it was, or what time it was. She could barely even remember her own name. Her body was leaden, and she felt like she’d been sleeping for an age, a stiffness setting into her joints as she lay in bed in the strange place. Forcing her heavy eyes open again, she found herself staring at a heavy curtain, realising that it encircled her bed, before her eyelids fell closed again. Wherever she was was clean and warm, so different from the months of traipsing through the frozen wilderness, and Kara could almost feel herself sinking through the feathery soft mattress. And then she let the hazy darkness waiting at the edges of her mind sweep over her again and drag her back down into sleep.

 

            The next time she woke up, she felt less heavy and her eyes fluttered open again, feeling gritty and sore, and as she sucked in a lungful of dry air, the taste of antiseptic, metal and herbs coating her tongue, she let out a hacking cough, with the dim realisation that she must be in some infirmary. The sound of a creaking chair broke the silence and then warm brown eyes, filled with love and concern, were looming over her, and Kara blankly stared up at her sister.

 

            “Kara?”

 

            “Alex,” she softly replied, her voice little more than a sigh, her throat feeling hoarse. Then a glass of water was being poured from the jug on the stand beside the bed, and Alex stirred something into it before pressing it to Kara’s lips, murmuring encouragements for her to drink the bitter yellow liquid. A moment later, a jolt ran through Kara, like a rush of adrenaline, chasing away her sluggish thoughts and filling her body with a loose, weightless feeling. Alex’s warm hands were gentle as they helped her into a sitting position, fluffing up the pillows behind her head, and Kara couldn’t bring herself to tell her to stop. She was only thinking about one thing. “Where’s Lena? Is she okay?”

 

            Alex paused, and then smoothed the sheets down over Kara’s legs, making sure she was all tucked in properly before she dragged her chair closer to the bed. Picking up a bandaged hand, Alex held it gently between both of her hands, giving Kara a pained look as she stared at her with mournful eyes. “I’m sorry. Lena’s gone.”

 

            A piercing spike of pain lanced through Kara’s heart, and she shook her head as she stared at Alex. “No.”

 

            “She was gone when we got there. We- we need you to tell us what happened.”

           

            “I don’t know.”

 

            “I know this is hard-“

 

            Closing her eyes, Kara shook her head again, trying to stack her brain for her scattered memories while tears trickled down her cheeks. “I don’t- I don’t know. I can’t- it’s all … scattered. Where is she? She was right there, Alex. Tell me where she went.”

 

            Her voice was turning shrill as she clutched her head in her hands, frantically grasping at the snatches of memories that were coming back to her, but not able to make any sense of them all. All she knew was that Lena had been there, but then she’d been gone. 

 

_             Goodbye Kara. _

 

            A jolt ran through her at the echo of Lena’s words, and then she was sobbing, gut wrenching sounds that took Alex by surprise as she reached out for her sister. At the touch of Alex, Kara began to struggle, writhing and kicking on the thin cot as she screamed unintelligible things, consumed by the memories of the woman she loved throwing herself into the pool of shimmering light, sacrificing herself so Kara didn’t have to. Somewhere in the midst of it all, she vomited all over herself, her sobs broken and hitching, and the sound of footsteps approaching grew louder. More hands were pushing her back down onto the bed, and when she drew in a hitching breath, a fine dust was blown onto her, and Kara choked on the gritty mouthful of it, instantly slumping in Alex’s arms. She was unconscious by the time she was laid back onto the bed.

 

            Dreams wove in and out of her sleep this time. Dreams of sea green eyes, a gentle voice saying goodbye, blinding bright light and a searing pain, starting in her left hand. Each time, she woke with a start, a cold sweat covering her body as she shivered under the pile of blankets she’d been brought. She was sick. In brief moments of lucidity, she silently drank tinctures and let Alex spoon mouthfuls of tart medicines between slightly parted lips, and then she’d drift off again while her sister murmured a few comforting words. 

 

            She wasn’t sure how many days had passed by the time she woke completely, her mind as clear and as sharp as glass, and her body weak but free from illness. Alex was there again, dozing lightly in her chair, looking tired and a little pale as she slept with a thin blanket draped over her - Kara couldn’t help but wonder if Maggie had put it over her - and as she struggled upright, the blankets pooling at her waist, Alex stirred. Blinking owlishly, she quickly became alert, rising to her feet and tossing the blanket onto her seat as she stood by Kara’s bedside, her fingers gently brushing back the hair on Kara’s forehead. 

 

            “Hey,” Alex murmured, “you’re awake.”

 

            “Hi,” Kara whispered, exhaling forcefully as she let her eyelids close. “She’s gone, isn’t she?”

 

            “I’m sorry.”

 

            Kara nodded, trying to swallow the thick lump in her throat as her bottom lip trembled, but she still couldn’t stop the tears. It was different to her breakdown this time, and she didn’t lash out at Alex when she nudged her aside and climbed onto the thin bed, cradling Kara against her chest and rocking her gently. She didn’t stop until she’d worn herself out and her eyes were red and raw, and then she just stared blankly at the white curtain, tightly shut around her bed, wondering where she was. That wasn’t the question she asked though.

 

            “How long have I …”

 

            “Three months,” Alex quietly replied, “the first two were spent getting you back here safely. J’onn thought it best to keep you at our headquarters so we could defend you if we had to, and look after you.”

 

            That answered her question as to where she was, but Kara was still reeling from the fact that she’d been out for three months. Three whole months of her life were gone, and she couldn’t help but think that Lena had been gone for three months too. She wouldn’t say dead - it didn’t matter if Lena never came back, they didn’t know what happened to her, so she wouldn’t say she was dead - but the overwhelming pain and grief that consumed her spoke of her true feelings towards Lena. She’d known what she’d been doing when she sacrificed herself, and she’d known she wouldn’t come back, and it filled Kara with bitter regret that she hadn’t been smart enough to outthink Lena. Despite what Lena had said about her having family, and despite her fear, Kara had been ready to die for this. She would’ve preferred it if it was herself. 

 

            “Is everyone okay?” Kara asked, her voice cracking slightly at the thought of someone else dying for this mission.

 

            “Yes,” Alex said, “Lucy pulled some spell out of nowhere. This yellow marble or something. Anyway, so I think the Worldkillers are happy with the new canyon she made on their doorstep.”

 

            Kara nodded, feeling slightly relieved and understanding that Lucy had found the right moment to use the knowledge she’d given up to Querl. Kara’s had still been in the pocket of her ski suit, and she didn’t know where it was now. 

 

            “You should eat something. You haven’t had solids in forever. Don’t move,” Alex said when Kara had no forthcoming questions, and she kissed her sister on the forehead, leaving her alone for a moment, before she returned with a tray floating along behind her and her hands tenderly cupping something. 

 

            The tray floated over to the side table, and Kara caught the smell of some sort of vegetable soup, as well as the herbal smell of tea, but she was still staring at Alex’s hands. “What’ve you got there?”

 

            Hesitating, Alex walked over to the bed and gingerly perched on the edge, before holding her hands out and letting a squashed black ball tumble into Kara’s lap. She watched as the strange looking ball started to move, leathery wings unfurling from a fuzzy body, and two liquid black eyes were staring back at her from a small face. Kara felt the air rush from her lungs as she scooped up the little bat with shaking hands. “Oh,  _ Aithusa.” _

 

            “It was left flapping around the desert after the fight outside the Worldkiller’s coven. I kept it safe for- well, I thought you might like it now. What happened to your wisp though?”

 

            Kara ran her fingers over the fuzzy stomach of the bat, watching her curl her wings in slightly as she squirmed, and she couldn’t stop the brief moment of lightness that swept through her - not quite happiness, but not the heavy blanket of grief. Lena had loved her bat. She kept her eyes on Aithusa as she answered Alex, “I gave it to Lena.”

 

            “Wha-  _ why?” _

 

            “Because she took my place,” Kara curtly replied, her voice full of bitterness and anger towards Lena. “It was supposed to be me.”

 

            A wary look crossed Alex’s face, unseen by Kara, and she shifted slightly where she sat. “What do you mean?”

 

            “I mean that  _ it was supposed to be me _ . I knew it before- I knew it since the Worldkillers, and she just- she threw herself in there before I could- and I couldn’t stop her, Alex.”

 

            She could almost hear the relief in her sister’s sharp exhale, and Kara hated that she would be the only one to mourn for Lena. Kara had people who loved her, and of course it was reasonable for them to want her to be safe firstly, but Lena didn’t have anyone to wish her safe above everyone else. She’d only had Kara, and she was consumed with guilt because she was lying in a bed, with her sister, being cared for by countless people, and Lena was … gone. No one would even miss her. Her mother hadn’t really cared about her beyond her being a prize, which only left Kara to miss her, and she did - more than she ever could’ve imagined. 

 

            Alex picked up on the sharp look Kara threw her way and gave her sister a pained look, “I’m sorry - really, I am - but you can’t expect me to  _ not  _ be glad that it wasn’t you. I wish there was something I could do … I had them searching for her for a month. We had no clue what happened. I thought that maybe she- well, maybe she took the Codex and ran. Left you behind.”

 

            Blinking back tears, Kara shook her head, “no. No, she didn’t.”

 

            “Then what happened? She wasn’t there. There was no body.”

 

            Kara’s eyes took on a glassy quality, looking far away from where she was now, and she swallowed the lump in her throat as she stared blankly ahead. “It was a light. The Codex was a light - that’s what my compass was pointing to - and she … she threw herself into it. I don’t know what happened. It hurt so much. I felt like I was on fire. My hand-” Kara looked down at her bandaged left hand, frowning slightly. Surely her hand should’ve healed in three months. Quickly unravelling the bandage, Kara stared down at the back of her hand with wide eyes, taking in the raised white scars where the runes had been. Gone were the inky black lines that had adorned her skin since the moment she was born, and Kara gaped as she ran her fingers over the pale bumps, following the familiar shapes and curves. “It scarred.”

 

            “I guess you don’t need it anymore.”

 

            “Guess not.”

 

            “What did the Codex give you?”

 

            Grinding her teeth together for a few moments, Kara couldn’t keep the bitterness from her voice when she replied. “Nothing.”

 

            “Here. Have some soup.”

 

            Kara let out a snort of laughter, giving her sister an incredulous look at the notion that soup would help fix things, but she accepted the bowl nonetheless, absentmindedly stirring the spoon around as she took stock of her situation. A part of her was still in disbelief about the fact that Lena was gone - in some ways, it felt like she would turn up at any moment with a snarky comment or one of her serious looks on her face - and she felt a hollow emptiness inside, and knew that this time it wasn’t because she was tired or hungry. It was an emptiness made by grief, and she knew only one thing could fill it, and it was the one thing that she couldn’t have. Under Alex’s watchful eye, she spooned some soup into her mouth, and they were silent for a few minutes, before Kara set the rest of it aside. She couldn’t stomach more than a few spoonfuls, and slumped back against the pillows, the little bat cradled against her chest as she numbly tried to push her thoughts of Lena aside. Her mind was still reeling though, and she spent the next few hours laying in silence, occasionally listening to Alex fill her in on some of the things she’d missed out on. Slowly, all the pieces began to fall into place, completing the picture of the hazy thoughts that plagued her mind, and Kara was left alone with the knowledge that she was the reason why Lena was dead.

 

\---

 

            Another month passed by, spent in long meetings and interrogations as all of the Coven Leaders gathered to make sense of what had happened. Many of the faces were familiar, and Kara spent every moment in Lillian Luthor’s presence glaring daggers at the woman, and held very little warmth for her aunt, who had taken on the mantle of the Krypton coven’s leader. Over and over again, she answered questions about the Codex and her journey to find it, holding truth crystals in her hands which compelled her to answer them truthfully. The whole process was tedious and repetitive, and she answered question after question with growing impatience as her temper wore thin, and the only thing that even remotely satisfied them was J’onn reading her mind and seeing it for himself, and sharing her memories with the other Coven Leaders. On and on it went for an entire month, staying up all night on Alex’s couch as she tried to avoid bad dreams of Lena, and of killing not only Mon-El, but Lex too, and stumbling through everyday like she was still half asleep, dark circles under her eyes and her bones too prominent against her pale skin. She was a ghost of the woman she’d been before she’d set out on this trip - battered and downtrodden, with very little will to keep carrying the weight of her struggles - and as spring was ushered in, she left, with nothing more than a short goodbye note addressed to Alex and left on a bare kitchen counter. 


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading this! I know it's been a bit of a wild ride, so I really appreciate it

            It only took her a few hours to reach the outskirts of the forest, and she marveled at the lush green that sprouted from the ground and the trees at the fringes of the woods, which had been bare the last time she’d been here. Drawing in a shuddering breath, Kara stepped beneath the first low hanging branch of a rowan tree, crushing bracken and a carpet of rotting leaves beneath her booted foot as she moved further into the thick copse of trees. The shadowzone was quiet in the early morning, and all of the shadows lightened as the sun began its trajectory across the sky, glimpses of the rosy sky visible in between the canopy of branches overhead. It was a long walk past moss covered trunks and boggy patches of mud, her boots thick with mud by the time she found what she was looking for. In the middle of the forest, the trees all stripped of their bark and leaves, she stared at the derelict building - or the building it had used to be, considering the fact that it was little more than a pile of cracked stone and charred beams - and she felt a lump rise in her throat. This had been Lena’s home the first time they’d met. She’d been safe here, until Kara had stumbled across her and alerted the Daxamite Hunters to her secret hideout in the abandoned shadowzone, and Kara was filled with anger towards herself, a bitter feeling in her mouth as she lowered the red shawl covering her blonde curls and draped around her shoulders. She scuffed her fingerless leather gloves on the rubble as she climbed over the stones and slid down into the small square where the remnants of Lena’s life lay. The old vellum books and scrolls now lay soggy and torn, her thin bedroll was damp and starting to sport some white mildew, and a few squashed tin cans were half trapped beneath some of the stones and old beams. That was all that remained of Lena’s old life, and Kara sank to her knees on the hard packed muddy ground and let out a pitiful sob as Aithusa fluttered up to the underside of the old eaves she’d used to hang from. 

 

            She wasn’t sure how long she knelt there for, but the brightness of full daylight surrounded her when she heard a twig snap behind her. On her feet within moments, white magic curling around her hands as her eyes turned milky, Kara skittered backwards slightly, sending tendrils of magic into the earth, the metallic smell chasing away the smell of rotting leaves and the damp earth. A black robed witch rounded a gnarled tree, and Kara clenched her hands into fists, quashing her magic and letting her eyes turn back to their piercing blue as she stared at her sister with puffy red eyes and a scowl on her face.

 

            “I told you  _ not  _ to follow me,” Kara snapped.

 

            “Yeah, well, I didn’t listen,” Alex shrugged, “I’m not about to just let you wander off alone to ... gods, what is this place?”

 

            Kara ducked her head down, grinding her teeth together as her eyes prickled and she scraped the toe of her boot along the side of a crumbling brick. “You should go.”

 

            “Kara-”

 

            “I don’t want to go back.”

 

            “There’s nothing out here for you!”

 

            “There’s nothing there for me either!” Kara exclaimed, “I have … nothing left. It was all for nothing, Alex. My whole life has been leading up to this great big thing, and it was nothing. There’s nothing else left for me.”

 

            Alex took a slow step towards her, her hands outstretched as she reached for her sister, and Kara caught a glimpse of Maggie bundled up in an orange cloak behind her, which explained how Alex had tracked her down so quickly. Taking a step backwards, Kara held her hands up to keep her sister at bay, and Alex gave her a pleading look, filled with pity and some small amount of confusion, as if she couldn’t quite understand Kara’s feelings, even though she knew where they were coming from. She let out a gentle sigh, her hands dropping uselessly to her sides and gave Kara a sad smile. “She didn’t want this for you. You told us yourself - she wanted you to come home to your family and friends. She didn’t want you to waste away out here, alone.”

 

            Kara scoffed, clenching her teeth as her eyes prickled with tears. Lena had been so sure that she had nothing to live for, and that Kara had a whole bunch of people who loved her waiting for her to come home, but Lena hadn’t anticipated Kara being unable to be around them. They loved her, and they were relieved that she was fine, but inside, Kara was anything but fine, and all she felt was emptiness when she was around them. It was better for everyone involved if she dealt with her heartbreak and emptiness alone, and she felt frustrated at the fact that Alex didn’t seem to quite understand that.

 

            “You don’t know what she wanted,” Kara sharply replied, “and this isn’t about  _ her _ -”

 

            “Cut the bullshit, Kara, of  _ course  _ it’s about her. I’m sorry - truly, I am - but I don’t want to lose my sister because someone you loved died. It’s not going to make you feel better, staying out here alone. You need to be with your family, now more than ever, not wasting your life out here, wallowing in your grief. Just … let me help you. Please.”

 

            “Go home, Alex.”

 

            “Kara-”

 

            “I said  _ go _ .”

 

            With a surge of anger, a fierce wind tore through the woods, ripping dried pine needles from their branches and sending them in a stinging frenzy towards Alex, who winced as they struck her cheeks and hands. The force of the wind caught them off guard, and Kara watched as her sister was knocked backwards, slipping on a patch of mud and falling onto her back, and she felt a small flicker of guilt well up inside. Alex was only trying to help her, but she didn’t want her help. Help wouldn’t fix things. All that was left for her now was to keep herself away from everyone - from the power hungry people who were still after her magic, or the knowledge they were convinced she was hiding from them, and the people who stared at her like some sort of curiosity, and the people who looked at her with pity in their eyes as they knew the whole truth of what had happened - and Kara dug her fingernails into her palms so hard that she left half-moon furrows in her skin. Her magic had been more restless since she’d come back, heightened by her grief, and she knew that she would hurt someone if she stayed. It was better for everyone this way - at least for the time being.

 

            “I know you’re hurting. I  _ know _ .”

 

            “What do you  _ know?” _ Kara cried, her voice wavering as she looked at Alex with teary eyes, feeling a lump form in her throat as she drew in a shaky breath. “You’re fine. You have Maggie. And what do I have? Nothing. She’s gone and I have nothing to show for it all except a scar and a broken heart. Don’t tell me what you know.”

 

            “Kara-”

 

            Letting out a heaving sigh, Kara felt the fight rush out of her, and a bone-deep weariness set in, and she clambered over the stones and pulled Alex into a tight hug, grabbing fistfuls of her sister’s robe as she held her close. Closing her eyes, she let herself be held by her sister for a few moments, before she pulled back and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll be okay, Alex. I don’t begrudge you your happiness, so don’t begrudge me my solitude. It’s what I want.”

 

            “But I’ll miss you,” her sister mumbled, a sad look in her eyes as she held Kara at arms length.

 

            Eyes stinging with tears, Kara swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, “I’ll miss you too. Come and visit me.”

 

            Letting out a soft sigh, Alex nodded and pulled her into another quick hug, and then she slowly made her way back over to Maggie, who gave Kara a grim look. With a lingering backwards glance and the promise that’d she’d be back, Alex disappeared through the fringes of the trees with Maggie, their quiet footsteps fading until Kara was left alone once more.

 

\---

 

            As much as Alex pretended like she okay with Kara living out in the middle of the woods, gently coaxing the place back to life as she tried to move past her grief, she really didn’t understand why her sister was so insistent on being alone. Still, Alex respected her wishes and brought her some stuff to make the hovel she’d made in the ruins of Lena’s old house somewhat inhabitable, and was a constant visitor, much to Kara’s chagrin. Alex’s visits became less and less frequent though with each of Kara’s attempts to push her away, because even though Kara loved her sister, she just wanted to be alone. For weeks, everyone had hounded her for details, and she’d spent months unconscious in an infirmary, out of the loop of things, and it was taking her longer than she would’ve liked to adjust to her new reality. Everyone told her that it gets easier after a while, losing someone, but with her endless nights staying up until the eerie darkness of the forest gave way to the dusky pinks of the sunrise, a hollow pit of grief and loneliness inside her, Kara started to realise that it never got easier - they just gave in trying to fill the hole, and resigned themselves to the fact that this was was their new reality now. The empty feeling inside became a constant companion. The ache inside was so constant that she’d forgotten what it was like to live without it. It didn’t get easier, she just forgot what it was like to live without the pain. 

 

            What she couldn’t forget was Lena though. She knew what it was like to live with Lena in her life, and everyday she was tormented by memories and tricks of the light that made her think that she was seeing Lena. Sometimes it was the echo of her laugh - a rare thing to begin with - and Kara would stumble in the direction she’d thought it had come from, and other times it was glimpses of a dark head slipping behind a twisted tree trunk, raven hair being ruffled by the wind. She’d scan the forest for hours, hoping for snatches of words sighing on the wind, or the shadowy figure ducking behind a trunk, letting small flickers of hope fuel her, only to have her heart crushed again and again when she realised Lena wasn’t coming back. 

 

            And then she’d woken one night to the sound of her name being called, and a dark figure standing at the end of her bedroll.

 

            “Lena,” Kara breathed, her heart hammering in her chest as she scrambled to her feet. 

 

            She’d barrelled towards the shadowy figure, arms outstretched, and had stumbled right through it, tripping over and scraping her palms and knees on the muddy floor. Pushing herself to her knees, Kara saw that she was alone - it had been a trick of the light, nothing more than the leftover remnants of her dream - and she’d broken down where she knelt. After that, she tried to ignore them. They came often. She’d huddle in the dark, a bitter wind flapping the canvas tarp she’d rigged over the top of her small camp, and her eyes would pick out the familiar outline of Lena, but she knew in her heart that it wasn’t her. It was never her. The memories of her all came back to her in haphazard flashes and disjointed sensations, but Lena never did. 

 

            All she had left of Lena was her bat, the memories of her, and the living proof of her sacrifice. It was then that Kara realised what she had to do. It wasn’t for herself, it was for Lena, and with a grim determination and a broken heart, Kara let her magic seep into every inch of the shadowzone, bringing the woods back to life around her. It took weeks of careful cultivating, and Alex would come and silently watch her work while Kara ignored her, pouring all of her energy into making the forest flourish. The trees were brought back from the brink of rotting death, a full canopy of lush green leaves bursting to life overhead, along with little flowers blooming in shades of white, yellow and pale pink. Then came the grass, which grew in spreading patches, and moss that carpeted the trunks of the trees, and shrubs and bushes, until the whole forest was a dazzling shade of green and dotted with plants of every colour in between. There were gnarled oaks and pale barked rowans with tiny red buds, plum trees and apple trees, already starting to bear fruit with the help of Kara’s magic, and little purple blackberries growing on bushes set beside orange magnolias and delicate bluebells. The birds returned, with the soft hooting of owls echoing at night and the chirping of swallows in the morning, and butterflies floated past swirling motes of pollen, a rainbow of colours on their wings as they blossomed in the summer, cicadas humming during dusk, and the whole air smelling of life. It was hard to believe it was the same deserted, dying forest that she’d first stumbled upon a year ago, devoid of life and colour. It was almost ironic that losing Lena had brought this place to life, when she herself wasn’t here to see it.

 

            It brought her a small amount of happiness to see Lena’s home bloom beneath her gentle touch, and even Alex was impressed when she stumbled upon her sister one midsummer’s day. For the first time in weeks, Kara wasn’t off in some odd corner of the woods, watching frogs leap into the river that gurgled nearby, or sending energy into the trailing branches of a willow tree. Instead, she was sitting in the middle of the clearing left behind where Lena’s hut had been, a smooth square of pale grey stone that she’d shaped with her magic, running her fingers over it as her aura flickered around her. 

 

            “Hi,” Alex gently interrupted her, “I brought you some peaches today, and a new blanket. It’s getting a bit cold out here.”

 

            “Thank you.”

 

            “What’re you doing?”

 

            Kara didn’t look up as a pair of black boots entered her line of sight. She just kept running her fingers over the smooth stone, watching as her touch gouged shallow swirling lines into the rock. They were runes. “Engraving.”

 

            “Oh. What for?”

 

            “A tower.”

 

            “A  _ tower?” _

 

            “Yes.”

 

            “Oh … well, in that case, would you like some help?”

 

            “No thank you.”

 

            Kara was determined to do it herself. She’d carve each brick with runes - spend years doing it, if she had to - but she’d do it. So Alex sat across from her, telling her about her job, and Maggie, and Eliza, and everyone else they both knew. She told Kara about the latest gossip at the Port, and the news that Roulette had been taken into custody for smuggling, and the third floor in the Hub which had fallen through when Maggie got into a bar fight and wrecked the place. Listening with interest, Kara silently carried on carving, the whorls and lines taking shape as she imbued the rock with magic, and then she moved onto the next one, over and over again, until she was surrounded by them. Alex had a lot of questions about what kind of tower Kara was building, how long it meant she’d be staying, and whether she even knew  _ how _ to build a tower, but she just watched the slow-going process without criticism. If Kara wanted to build a tower to process her guilt, then she could build the tallest tower in the world. She just wanted her sister back.

 

\---

 

            “Why don’t you come home now?” Eliza gently asked a few weeks later, “you’ve been out here for a while now. We can go back to mine. You can have a hot bath and I’ll make you some good food and you can sleep in a proper bed. How does that sound?”

 

            “Don’t bother, mom,” Alex muttered.

 

            Kara just kept running her fingers over the stone, the shapes of the runes a familiar habit now, and the tips of her index fingers red and raw from the constant friction of skin against stone over the weeks. Everywhere she looked now, there were piles of stones, teetering almost as tall as her in some places, arranged in towering pyramids or neat lines, some of them almost as big as she was, for the foundations of the tower. She had explained her reasons to any of them, and when she glanced up, she could see the questions burning in Eliza’s eyes. Giving her a small smile, Kara waved her hand, and the stone floated over to a pile and set itself down on top with a small thud. A blank stone drifted over and plonked down before her, and Kara immediately started running her fingers over that one too. 

 

            “I’m okay, Eliza. Thanks for stopping by.”

 

            It was silent, except for the rustling of leaves and the twittering of birds, and Kara glanced up to take in the wide eyes look on her adoptive mother’s face, looking slightly taken aback at the dismissive tone of the thin witch with the dark circles under her eyes and unkempt appearance. Weeks of living in a forest, using the river to bathe and having to forage for food if Alex didn’t bring what she needed, had run Kara ragged. She was a shadow of the person she’d been before, looking exhausted and weighed down by her grief, and despite the golden tan she’d formed from endless hours outdoors, her skin was sallow. No one wanted to push her too far though, knowing that she might break under the pressure of trying to keep it together. There were already cracks showing in the fragile facade she tried to present.

 

            Eliza was too wary about being pushy though, and she gave in with a gentle sigh and a look of concern for her daughter. “You can come home any time you want to.”

 

            “I’m okay. You don’t have to worry about me,” Kara murmured, pausing her stone carving for a moment to unfold her stick-like limbs and climb to her feet. She gave Eliza a quick hug, and then hugged Alex, giving them both what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

 

            Reaching out, Eliza tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear and cupped Kara’s chin, “but I do worry. I don’t like the thought of you out here all alone.”

 

            Kara swallowed the lump in her throat at the acknowledgement of the fact that she was all alone, and she gave her mom a wavering smile which didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’ll be okay. I promise.”

 

            With another hug, they were both gone, leaving her to her carving, which she immediately returned to. They days slipped by in that fashion, until the whole clearing from where the Daxamite Hunters had blown apart Lena’s house was filled with neatly shaped blocks of stone, engraved with protective runes.

 

\---

 

            Before she knew it, it had been five months since Lena had gone. Of course, she wasn’t conscious for half of that, but even with a month living in the forest, she found that it didn’t help. Yet, she didn’t  _ want _ to go back. When Alex visited, bringing her guests to try and coax her out of her den, Kara couldn’t stand the pity in their eyes, and she knew that was all she’d get if she went back. She’d been a curiosity for a month, with people staring and whispering when Alex had taken her to M’gann’s bar, or to the Hub to visit Maggie, and she knew if she went back, it would be to that all over again. For the first time, she understood why Lena had stayed in the forest for eight years. The solitude became addictive, and she craved the moments of silence, with the sound of the river rippling past and the small creatures taking up residence in branches and roots. It was more bearable than people. When she was alone, she felt less guilty too. She’d killed Mon-El to save Lena, and then she’d killed Lex too, thinking she was walking to her death and wouldn’t have to bear the guilt of her actions - she’d wanted to spare Lena that one thing - but she hadn’t died, and everyday she felt the sickening hatred towards herself burning inside at what she’d done. It had all been for nothing in the end.

 

            The next time she had visitors, she was working on the first row of brick laying, creating a large circle that dominated most of the field, using magic to shift the huge blocks, and when she looked up, Lucy and James were there, with Alex hovering nearby, a sack bulging with food and equipment for her, even though Kara kept telling her to stop wasting her money, and Kara wiped her sweaty forehead as she stared at them.

 

            “Kara, hi,” Lucy smiled at her, “how are you doing?”

 

            “Lucy. James. What’re you doing here?”

 

            “We haven’t seen you since …” James hesitantly said, giving her a warm smile, “we wanted to catch up.”

 

            Kara nodded, dusting her gloves off on the thighs of her threadbare jeans and scooping some of the sloppy clay she’d made onto the ground, neatly making sure it covered a large enough area for the stone, before she cemented a new block into place. All the while, Lucy and James talked to her, with the occasional input from Alex, and Kara was content to listen while she worked, rejecting all offers to help, while Alex muttered excuses for her behaviour. They left an hour later, after Kara spotted the ring on Lucy’s finger, thinking about what Querl had asked of him and returned - apparently it was to propose and settle down for a quiet life - and there had been an awkward moment when she’d congratulated them, as if no one knew what to say. Everyone was aware of how she’d felt about Lena - it was painfully obvious - and they hesitantly thanked her before quickly taking their leave, and Alex promised she’d come again soon.

 

            The next time she brought Winn, who hadn’t been a part of things really, and had never met Lena. How was he supposed to understand? Still, he was as chipper and loyal to Kara as ever, and he didn’t push her, knowing that Kara wouldn’t take too kindly to him trying to convince her to leave. It was kind of him to come though, and she gave him a small smile when she hugged him goodbye, covering him in dust and smears of clay, which he waves off goodnaturedly and assured her he’d be back again soon. After Winn was Kal-El and Lois, and even Thara and Astra, and Kara couldn’t even muster up any enthusiasm for her family and old coven. Then there was J’onn and M’gann, their gentle calming presence and intuition from their mind reading that meant that Kara didn’t have to say much. She found their presence the most welcome out of all of her friends, and she didn’t mind it so much when they answered stray thoughts that crossed her mind. They could read her grief better than anyone else, and see the true depth of her heartbreak, and whatever J’onn said to Alex after that, she become less pushy with trying to coerce Kara into leaving the forest, and somewhat came to terms with the fact that she’d lost her sister to the flourishing woods. Still, Kara had snapped when they'd tried to coerce her into giving up all of her memories of Lena. After that, the visitors stopped, except for Alex, and occasionally Eliza.

 

            One month in the woods turned to two, and the tower was above the trees, with dark planks of wood grown for the floor on the first two levels, and rooms following the curves of the walls. It was coming along nicely, Kara thought, with the bricks used for the outer wall carved with runes imbued with magic to protect the place. The inner walls were small, normal bricks made from red clay she dug up from the river bed, shaping with magic before she fired them hard in her fire pit. It was a long process, and would’ve taken even longer without magic, but on a summer’s day, she peeked over the side of the scaffolding she’d rigged from branches and logs, holding onto the uneven walls that she hadn’t finished yet, and stared down at the two figures that entered the clearing. One was Alex, and the other had blue skin with a shock of white hair. Querl Dox. With some trepidation, Kara scuttled down the scaffolding, swinging from branch to branch until she landed firmly on the muddy ground, and she gave Querl a curious look. 

 

            “Kara Danvers,” he quietly greeted her.

 

            “Querl Dox.”

 

            “You don’t sound surprised to see me.”

 

            She let out a quiet laugh of surprise and shrugged, “my sister’s made a habit of finding people to come and visit me.”

 

_             “He _ found  _ me _ , actually,” Alex said, giving her a wry smile, “shall I put some tea on?”

 

            Shrugging indifferently, Kara turned around and walked back towards the tower, stepping through the stone archway of the main door, and stepped into her new home. The bottom floor was all open, with little arched windows moulded out of the stone letting the sunlight flood in, and Kara moved over to the fire pit she’d made near one of the windows to let the smoke out, rekindling the ashes and filling an old kettle with river water from a barrel. Alex and Querl made themselves comfortable on the flagstone floor while Kara washed the dirt from her hands and under her fingernails, the silence hanging heavily over them as they listened to the sounds of birds outside. She made them all cups of a gritty herbal tea, handing them over before sinking down to the floor to complete their triangle, and Kara let the cup warm her hands as she waited for one of them to start talking. This was how it always went; Alex brought someone, and they tried to convince Kara to leave.

 

            Much to her surprise, that wasn’t what Querl wanted to discuss though. “So, tell me … the Codex-”

 

            “Nothing happened,” Kara tightly replied, “I’m sure you already know this; you know everything”

 

            He contemplated her answer for a few moments, tilting his head to the side as he fell deep into thought, and then he shrugged slightly. “Well, I wouldn’t say everything, but I know a lot. I did know that though, but I was hoping that you could give me more insight.”

 

            “Sorry, I can’t help you.”

 

            “Well then, perhaps I can help you.”

 

            “Unless you can bring someone back from the dead, I don’t think that you can,” Kara snorted.

 

            He grimaced slightly, his dark eyes looking troubled as he stared at her, “well, no … not physically. But there’s something that might help you remember the dead. It’ll make you happy.”

 

            A wary look crossed Kara’s face as she studied him, wondering what he was talking about. She didn’t have to ask though, because he climbed to his feet, walked over to the cedar chest she kept beside her bedroll, and started rummaging through it, ignoring Kara’s spluttering at the invasion of her privacy. It was a few moments later when he turned around with something clenched in his fist, and Kara frowned as she watched his blue fingers uncurl to reveal a small yellow marble nestled in his palm. Huffing, Kara rolled her eyes and took a sip of her tea, ignoring him, even when he came and crouched down directly in front of her, his hand outstretched as he offered up the marble. She’d held onto it for all these months, unsure about whether she wanted to find out what it contained, and apparently this was Querl’s solution to her grief. Kara wondered if he’d known Lena would die all along.

 

            “You  _ can _ help yourself, Kara. Give yourself back some of the lightness, some of the joy. It won’t bring her back - nothing can - but you can allow yourself to be happy, even if it’s just for a moment.”

 

            She reached out and took the marble, holding it so tight that her knuckles turned white. Draining the cup of tea she held in the other hand and setting it on the floor, Kara climbed to her feet and tucked the marble into her pocket, turning around and walking back outside. The harsh sunlight made her eyes water, and she grabbed onto a wooden pole, bracing one foot against it to haul herself up, but paused at the sound of Alex calling her name. Letting out a weary sigh, Kara glanced over her shoulder, raising her eyebrows slightly. Alex was giving her a pleading look, and Querl stood slightly behind her, his white hair standing on end as he nervously wrung his hands.

 

            “Please.”

 

            Swallowing the lump in her throat, Kara turned back around and started climbing up the flimsy scaffolding. “I’ll see you next week.”

 

\---

 

            It was later on that night, huddled up beneath her blanket, a fire crackling in the pit to chase away the chill that seeped from the cold stones, that Kara drew the yellow marble out of her pocket. It was small, about the size of her thumbnail, and the colour of turmeric, and she ground her teeth together, her mind troubled. A part of her wanted to just smash it on the floor and get it over with, so she could let go of some of the hurt inside, but another part of her didn’t want to be disappointed. In her frustration, she tossed the marble aside, letting out an irritable shout, and heard a quiet cracking sound as the marble split. Yellow smoke started seeping out of it and Kara froze where she sat, a look of panic and curiosity crossing her face as she was torn between wanting to find out what had been taken from her, and scared that it would be worse than she could imagine.

 

            And then the yellow smoke was worming its way through her slightly parted lips, and she sharply inhaled, her eyes turning milky white for a moment as a memory came flooding back to her. It took her breath away and her eyes filled with tears at the sound of her parents’ laughter, the memory of that day at the beach making her heart ache slightly. Querl had been right at the time - it  _ was _ her happiest memory, and one of the most precious ones of her parents - and Kara was grateful to have it back, but there was the overwhelming realisation that that day wasn’t the happiest she’d been anymore. Since the day she’d given up that memory, there had been more days with Lena - and nights spent with her - and Kara couldn’t stop the small sob that escaped her with the realisation that she was no more happier for the return of her lost memory than she had been a moment ago. And then she was crying, for everything she’d lost and everything she’d never get back, and loud, hitching sobs wracked her body as she curled in on herself, hugging her knees to her chest and burying her head in her arms, golden curls spilling around her shoulders. She could’ve been crying for hours for all she was aware of, until a soft voice interrupted her. 

 

            “Kara.”

 

            Freezing, Kara slowly raised her head, staring at the dark shadow illuminated by the orange glow of the fire. She choked on a sob and let out a shaky laugh, wiping at her wet cheeks. “Of  _ course _ you’re here right now.”

 

            “Kara, it’s me.”

 

            She closed her eyes, letting out a shuddering sigh, a bone deep tiredness filling her entire body. The urge to curl up and sleep for as long as she could filled her, her sadness making her feel wearier than usual. “You say that every time,” she murmured, knowing that in a few moments, she’d open her eyes and the figure would be gone. Nothing more than a figment of her imagination, with the echoes of Lena’s voice ringing in her ears.

 

            “It’s  _ me.” _

 

            Cold fingers caressed her cheeks and Kara’s flew open at the sensation, her mouth falling open in surprise as she stared up at the pale faced woman crouched before her, ivory skin almost glowing in the dim light and eyes wide and hopeful. Kara jerked backwards, scrambling over her bedroll and knocking over a dark lantern, disbelief etched into every line of her face as she stared at Lena.

 

            “Impossible,” Kara breathed, feeling the blood drain from her face.

 

            The laugh that had haunted her dreams and waking hours everyday for months hit her full force, from mere feet away, and a slow smile stretched across Lena’s face, dimpling her cheeks and making her dark eyes sparkle. Kara felt all the air rush out of her lungs, and she hesitantly reached forward, her hands trembling as she leant across the space separating them and her hands hit Lena’s bare shoulders. Pulling back immediately, Kara shuffled backwards again, a wide eyed look of awe on her face as she stared at Lena with disbelief, feeling a little dubious when a light didn’t flood the room.

 

            “I shouldn’t- I shouldn’t be able to touch …”

 

            She reached out again, touching Lena’s bare shoulders again and drawing in a sharp breath at the sold feeling beneath her hands. Slowly sliding her hands along her shoulders and down Lena’s bare arms, Kara’s eyes roamed over the pale, bare skin, drinking in the goosebumps that ran across her skin at the cool breeze drifting in through the archway and windows, and the freckle on her neck, and the scar underneath her eyebrows. And then when her hands were finished tracing the curve of her collarbones and stroking the side of her neck, Kara cupped her face in her hands and finally met Lena’s eyes, only inches away.

 

_             “Lena?” _

 

            “Hello Kara.”

 

            “Wha-  _ how?” _

 

            Lena let out a laugh as Kara threw herself at her, falling back onto the flagstone floor as she instinctively wrapped her arms around Kara. Burying her face into Lena’s neck, Kara shook, reeling with shock, breathing in the familiar smell of her skin, conflicting feelings running through her as she tried to process what was happening. Lena was _ here _ . It was Lena - she was real and tangible, and Kara clung to her for dear life. And then she was crying again, her hot tears dripping onto Lena’s bare skin, and with a start, she realised that she wasn’t wearing any clothes, and Kara scrambled for her blanket, quickly draping it around Lena’s shoulders as her eyes ran over her. Sitting back, Kara wiped her wet cheeks and tilted her head to the side, staring intently at Lena, who looked  _ normal _ . She looked better than Kara had ever seen her. Gone were the dark circles beneath her eyes, and the gaunt cheeks and hollow eyes. Her hair was dark and shiny, she wasn’t all skin and bones anymore, and she looked content almost. 

 

            “Where the  _ fuck _ have you been?!” Kara tearfully exclaimed, reaching out to rub Lena’s arms over the top of the blanket.

 

            “It’s hard to explain,” Lena hesitantly replied, “I was gone … but I wasn’t gone. I was  _ everywhere. _ I was everything.”

 

            “I don’t understand,” Kara said, her brow wrinkling in confusion. “I watched you jump in. The light went out … the runes on my hand … you never came back.”

 

            There was a flicker of emotion in Lena’s eyes, an unreadable look that struck Kara as odd. She was her Lena, but there was something off about her - something that had changed. Whatever had happened to her over the months, it had changed her just as much as Kara had been changed by her own grief.

 

            “I couldn’t come back. I tried. I tried coming back for you, but it was  _ so _ hard. The Codex … it took everything from me. My body, my magic, even my soul and aura. I sacrificed everything. But then I was everywhere and knew everything. I was the past, the present and the future. I’ve seen  _ universes _ . I’ve seen the Gods. Rao … he’s real. They all are. Your Gods, the Mars Gods and the Daxam ones too. The Codex was a fountain of knowledge, and, well, I'm the Codex now. We were seeking all the knowledge in the universe. I _became_ that light. I know everything there is to know - I  _ saw  _ everything. I watched you mourn, and I saw the creation of this world, saw the future and me by your side. It’s all … so much. My mind is full. You were always there though. I tried- I tried to come back to you so many times. Sometimes you’d talk to me.”

 

            Kara made a sound of protest, a bubble of laughter escaping her as she stared at Lena with wide eyes, reeling from the shock of all of these revelations. “You mean all those times I thought I was seeing things or hearing things, it  _ was  _ you?”

 

            Nodding, Lena reached out and cupped her cheek, a small smile playing on her lips as she stroked Kara’s cheekbone. “I’m sorry. I had to see you. I wanted to tell you I was okay, but I couldn’t hold my form. It took months to piece all of the atoms of me back together. You have no idea how much it hurt to watch you think I’d left you.”

 

            Leaning forward, Lena rested her forehead against Kara’s, and Kara’s eyes fluttered closed, her heart hammering in her chest as she tried to make sense of her feelings. The dull ache in her chest was still there, but the weightless feeling of overwhelming happiness consumed her. It was conflicting. She was still mourning Lena, but now Lena was here, by some small miracle. She was here, in Kara’s arms, and she didn’t know how to process it all.

 

            “I’ve missed you,” Kara choked out, sniffling slightly as she tried to blink back the tears welling in her eyes.

 

            Eyes glistening slightly with unshed tears, Lena let out a strangled laugh, “I’ve missed you to.”

 

            “I dreamt of you every night.”

 

            “I know you did. If I could’ve dreamt, it would’ve been of you.”

 

            They were both quiet after that as they let the weight of the situation set in, and they both couldn’t stop running their hands over each other, and Kara’s heart fluttered at the soft feeling of Lena’s lips on hers when she stole a kiss. Then tiredness seemed to seep into their bones, making their eyes burn as they struggled to keep them open, and the early hours of the morning crowded around the tower as they huddled inside. Kara fetched Lena some of her spare clothes, and she watched as Lena dressed, seemingly fascinated with her new physical body, and then they both crawled onto the bedroll. As tired as they both were, it took them awhile to drift off to sleep in each other’s arms, scared that it would all slip away if they closed their eyes for a moment, but eventually sleep won out, and as the sun rose, they slipped into darkness. 

 

            When Kara woke after midday, she winced at the bright sunlight streaming in through the door, and everything came rushing back to her all at once. Scrambling to her feet, almost tripping over the twisted blankets, she lunged for the door, catching herself on the edge of the archway, and let out a small exclamation of surprise when she saw Lena sitting on a gnarled tree stump at the edge of the clearing, laughing as she cooed to the little bat dangling from the underside of her sleeve as she held her arm up. Clutching a hand to her chest, Kara tried to calm her pulse, and her knees felt like they were going to buckle beneath her body weight as she stared at Lena. 

 

            “Good morning,” Lena beamed at her, fluidly rising to her feet and crossing the carpet of grass and wildflowers as Aithusa fluttered up to hang from a tree branch. She kissed Kara on the cheek, making the other witch blush as she ducked her head, still very much in shock, and laced their fingers together, pulling Kara over to a patch of grass. 

 

            “I almost thought it was all a dream,” Kara murmured as she sank down to her knees, her eyes only for Lena. 

 

            Laughing, Lena tilted her head to the side, “a lot has changed.”

 

            “I’ll say.”

 

            “My magic is gone.”

 

            Kara was taken aback by the news, her forehead furrowing with confusion as she stared at Lena. “What?”

 

            “The Codex took my magic from me. That was the price of the sacrifice. My aura’s gone too. I’m not sure what I am … I’m alive, that’s for sure, but I’m …  _ more _ . It took my magic in exchange for all of this knowledge. The spells I know, and the theoretical magic I know, the technical specifications and different techniques … I guess it wouldn’t be fair to have it all.”

 

            “But you were starting to learn to control it,” Kara softly said, a flicked of sadness inside.

 

            Then she saw the humour in Lena’s eyes, and the relief in her shoulders, and a look of bewilderment crossed her face. Reaching forward, Lena cupped her chin for a moment, wrinkling her nose and smiling. “I told you once that I didn’t want to practice magic. I didn’t want to hurt people anymore. This is a blessing, Kara. I also told you I wanted to learn every kind of magic. Well I have now. I know it all, and I’m  _ glad _ that I don’t have the power to use what I know. We’ve always been in balance, me and you, and now you have the power, and I have the knowledge.”

 

            “Truly two halves of a whole,” Kara laughed, a soft smile curling her lips as she laced her fingers with Lena’s, looking at the greenish veins snaking across the back of her pale hand and feeling the steady pulse in her wrist. She was alive. She was here and she was doing better than she ever had. Lena had everything she’d ever wanted, and Kara realised that she did to. “You also told me something else once. That you’d build a tower. A place for all kinds of magical folk, with a big library where knowledge wasn’t hoarded. People would come here to learn all kinds of magic.”

 

            Looking around the place with wide eyes, Lena stared at the three stories of the tower that Kara had already completed - an impressive feat in just a few short months - and she looked at the engraved stones dotting the clearing with newfound appreciation. “This place? You’re building a school?”

 

            “It was going to be my last gift to you,” Kara explained, the overwhelming feeling of happiness bubbling up inside again when she realised there wouldn’t be a last. “And I guess I found my first teacher.”

 

            Leaning forward, Lena cupped her face and kissed her gently, before she climbed to her feet, wearing Kara’s clothes, just a little too baggy for her, and reached down to pull Kara to her feet. “Come on then, Kara Danvers, let’s finish this tower. It’s time I taught you all the secrets of the universe.”

 

            Kara reached up and took her hands in her own, before she pulled Lena back down to their patch of grass, basking in the sun with the smell of trees, flowers and Lena surrounding her, and she ducked her head down and stole a quick kiss. 

 

            “I’ve been waiting a long time for you, Miss Luthor. The universe can wait a little longer.”


End file.
